LSSTF Launches Statewide Anti-Crime Campaign, Targets Youths Across Lagos’ 57 LGAs and LCDAs
• Agege to Host Flag-Off as Initiative Focuses on Combating Cultism, Drug Abuse and Youth Viol
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) is set to launch a statewide advocacy campaign aimed at tackling crime, cultism, drug abuse and other social vices among youths across the state’s 57 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
The initiative, to be implemented through the LSSTF Campaign Against Crime, Cultism and Other Vices (LSSTF-CACCOV), will officially commence in Agege Local Government before extending to other councils across Lagos.
The campaign is designed as a preventive, community-based intervention that seeks to discourage young people from embracing criminal activities by promoting positive values, civic responsibility and peaceful coexistence.
Speaking on the initiative, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of LSSTF, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, stressed that sustainable security cannot be achieved through law enforcement alone but requires deliberate investments in prevention and youth engagement.
According to him, the campaign reflects the belief that preventing crime before it occurs is more effective than relying solely on arrests and prosecutions.
“Security is most effective when we stop crime before it happens. Through LSSTF-CACCOV, we are adopting 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,” Ogunsan said.
He explained that the initiative would bring together key stakeholders, 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, schools, youth groups and other partners committed to building safer communities.
Ogunsan noted that lasting security can only be achieved through collective responsibility.
“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 added.
The initiative aligns with the youth development agenda of Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, whose administration has continued to invest in education, entrepreneurship, digital skills development, vocational training, sports and job creation programmes aimed at empowering young people and positioning them as active contributors to the state’s development.
LSSTF-CACCOV serves as the Security Trust Fund’s flagship community engagement platform, mobilising residents—particularly youths—to become partners in crime prevention through advocacy, sensitisation campaigns, volunteer mobilisation, anti-drug awareness programmes and strategic collaboration with security agencies and community institutions.
The statewide campaign will be coordinated by the State Coordinator of LSSTF-CACCOV, Dr. Moses Oladimeji, who has spearheaded several grassroots advocacy programmes across tertiary institutions and communities in Lagos.
Under his leadership, the initiative has reached thousands of students and young people through awareness campaigns against cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime, rape, gang violence and other criminal activities.
During the 2026 Freshers’ Orientation Programme at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Oladimeji encouraged newly admitted students to reject destructive lifestyles and embrace discipline, hard work and purposeful living.
Drawing inspiration from the life of LSSTF Executive Secretary, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan—an alumnus of YABATECH who rose from humble beginnings to become a respected business leader and public servant—he urged students to understand that success is determined not by one’s background but by the choices one makes.