Akabo-Abazu Youth Council Takes Anti-Cultism, Drug Abuse Protest Across Communities

The Akabo-Abazu Youth Council has stepped up its campaign against cultism, drug abuse and other social vices, mobilising youths and stakeholders of the two communities to declare a united stand against activities threatening peace, security and the future of young people.

The protest and sensitisation rally, held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, moved through the nooks and crannies of Akabo and Abazu autonomous communities, with strategic stops at the residences of the monarchs and other stakeholders where the youths formally registered their declarations against cultism, drug abuse and related crimes.

The procession was accompanied by Akabo and Abazu Vigilante groups and other security formations, alongside Police personnel in the locality, as participants sensitised residents on the consequences of the vices and the need for collective action against them.

The Traditional Ruler of Akabo autonomous community, Eze (Barr.) Evans Njoku (Nwansi IV), commended the Youth Council for initiating the campaign, describing the exercise as timely in view of the growing danger posed by cultism, substance abuse and other social vices.

“Today, we are not just marching; we are fighting for the soul of our communities,” Eze Njoku said, as he declared zero tolerance for cult gatherings, drug peddling and criminal hideouts, while assuring youths willing to renounce such lifestyles of support towards rehabilitation.

The Traditional Ruler of Abazu Autonomous Community, Eze Dr. Oliver Njoku (Abazuma II of Abazu), also threw his weight behind the youth-driven campaign and stressed the need for sustained awareness and community participation in tackling cultism and drug abuse.

He urged young people to embrace responsible and productive lifestyles, while calling for continued cooperation among parents, community leaders, youths and security agencies in protecting the communities from activities capable of undermining peace and development.

The leaderships of Akabo and Abazu Town Unions including the Chief George Agogbua, High Chief PC. George Oheriohamma, High Chief George Opara, Chief Chris Onyenekwucha and Prince Chukwuemeka Ekwueme among others equally backed the campaign, describing the fight against cultism, drug abuse and other social vices as a collective responsibility that should not be left to youths or security agencies alone.

They pledged to support sustained sensitisation through community meetings and engagements with families and young people, while encouraging genuine efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate those willing to abandon cultism and substance abuse.

The Abazu Youth President, Engr. Princewill Amadi, said the campaign was informed by growing concern over the involvement of some young and older persons in drug abuse and cult-related activities, which he said had contributed to fighting, intimidation and threats to lives.

Abazu Youth President, Engr Amadi

Amadi expressed satisfaction with the mobilisation, saying about 200 youths participated in the awareness rally and expressing hope that the united position of the communities would persuade those involved in drugs and cultism to withdraw from such activities.

The Akabo Youth President, Comrade Okechukwu Onyenekwucha said the campaign was designed to awaken a stronger sense of responsibility among young people and make them understand that they could not remain silent while drugs, cultism and criminal behaviour damaged the image and future of their generation.

Akabo Youth President, Comrade Onyenekwucha

Onyenekwucha stressed the need for positive peer influence, urging responsible youths to reach out to colleagues drifting into destructive lifestyles, while assuring that the Akabo youth leadership would continue working with its Abazu counterpart and other stakeholders to sustain the sensitisation.

The Divisional Police Officer, Ikeduru Local Government Council, CSP Hyacient Okoro urged young people involved in drug abuse, cultism and other criminal activities to abandon them and embrace a more productive future.

CSP Okoro encouraged affected youths to “come out from that darkness” and stressed the importance of cooperation among the Police, traditional rulers, town unions, vigilante groups, parents and youths in tackling insecurity and social vices.

The DPO also encouraged residents to support security efforts with useful information, noting that effective policing and community safety depended on cooperation between security agencies and the people.

Stakeholders at the various stops reinforced the message of the protesters, warning that the consequences of cultism and drug abuse extended beyond individual offenders to their families and the wider communities.

The organisers said the exercise was deliberately taken across both communities to bring the campaign directly to residents and ensure that the message reached youths, parents, community leaders and other groups at the grassroots.

They maintained that the declarations made at the residences of the monarchs and other stakeholders demonstrated the broad support of Akabo and Abazu for the youth-led initiative and their determination to confront the menace collectively.

The Akabo-Abazu Youth Council said the campaign would not end with the street protest, but would continue through sensitisation at kindred meetings, markets, churches and other gathering points as the two communities intensify efforts to curb cultism, drug abuse and related social vices.