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The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has launched a statewide advocacy campaign against crime, with a particular focus on cultism and drug abuse among youths.
The Executive Secretary of LSSTF, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, unveiled the initiative, describing it as a youth-focused advocacy campaign designed to steer young people away from crime before they become entangled in criminal activities.
Ogunsan said the project would be implemented through the LSSTF Campaign Against Crime, Cultism and Other Vices (LSSTF-CACCOV). The programme will commence in Agege Local Government Area before expanding to the remaining 56 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LGAs/LCDAs) across the state.
According to him, the campaign is a preventive, non-kinetic intervention aimed at reducing crime by promoting positive values, discouraging illicit drug use, combating cultism and empowering young people to become agents of peace and community development.
“The most effective way to fight crime is not always through arrests and prosecutions. It is by preventing people from embracing criminality in the first place. Across the world, governments are increasingly complementing conventional law enforcement with preventive strategies that address the social drivers of crime, including drug abuse, cultism, youth violence and delinquency,” he said.
Ogunsan noted that sustainable security cannot be achieved through enforcement alone but requires deliberate investment in prevention and youth engagement.
“Security is most effective when we stop crime before it happens. Through LSSTF-CACCOV, we are taking a preventive, community-driven approach that empowers young people with the right values, information and opportunities to reject crime, cultism and illicit drugs before they become victims or perpetrators,” he said.
He explained that the campaign would bring together strategic partners, including the Nigeria Police Force, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, local government and LCDA chairmen, traditional rulers, community leaders, faith-based organisations, youth groups, schools and other stakeholders committed to building safer communities.
According to him, preventing crime requires collective ownership.
“No institution can build a secure society alone. When government agencies, communities, parents, schools and young people work together, we create an environment where crime struggles to thrive. That is the vision driving this statewide campaign,” he said.
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Ogunsan added that the initiative aligns with Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s youth development agenda, which focuses on expanding opportunities through education, skills acquisition, innovation, entrepreneurship, sports development and civic engagement.
He said the campaign would be coordinated by the State Coordinator of LSSTF-CACCOV, Dr. Moses Oladimeji, who has spearheaded grassroots advocacy programmes across tertiary institutions and communities in Lagos.
Under his leadership, LSSTF-CACCOV has emerged as one of the state’s foremost preventive security advocacy platforms, reaching thousands of students and youths through sensitisation programmes against cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime, rape, gang violence and other criminal activities.
At the 2026 Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) Freshers’ Orientation Programme, Oladimeji urged newly admitted students to reject destructive lifestyles and embrace discipline, diligence and purposeful living. Using the life story of LSSTF Executive Secretary and CEO, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, an alumnus of the institution, he demonstrated that success is determined not by one’s background but by one’s choices.
Ogunsan also disclosed that the Lagos State Government is expanding the deployment of drone technology for security operations.
According to him, Lagos has taken security surveillance beyond conventional patrols by deploying sophisticated aerial surveillance assets capable of monitoring activities across vast areas of the state.
“We now have eyes in the skies with drone technology. Our drones are watching all over Lagos day and night to monitor activities. Criminals and criminally minded persons should be warned to stay away,” he said.
He added that the deployment is not only intended to deter criminals but also to reassure residents, businesses and investors that Lagos remains committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment.
“This is also to assure all law-abiding Lagosians that we are ahead of the game in terms of safety and security,” he said.
