The Kwara State Police Command has commemorated the 2026 International Youth Day with a Peace and Security Walkathon and tree-planting exercise aimed at promoting youth participation, peacebuilding and collective responsibility for community safety.
The event, held in Ilorin on Thursday, was organised in line with the United Nations theme for the 2026 International Youth Day, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu’s youth-focused national leadership and security initiative.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, the Command said the initiative was designed to strengthen trust and cooperation between the police and young Nigerians.
According to the statement, the Commissioner led members of the police management team, government officials, security stakeholders, youth organisations and community groups during the walk, which highlighted the importance of partnership and active citizen participation in maintaining peace and security.
Among those who participated were the Commissioner for Youth Development, Amb. Ndanusa Usman Shau; Commissioner for Social Development, Hajia Ina Fatima, represented by Ikupolati Jonathan Taiye; Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Kwara State Chapter, Comr. Alli Nasiru Yusuf; Chairman of Community Policing, Alhaji Jubril Abdullahi; and the Police Officers’ Wives Association Chairperson, Mrs Catherine Aseri Adekimi, represented by Mrs Baliques Suleiman.
The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Kwara State, Yusuf Abdulqudri Eleburuike, also participated in the event alongside members of various youth and community groups.
The participants later took part in the symbolic planting of trees, which the Command said represented a collective commitment to peace, security, environmental responsibility and a better future for the state.
The statement quoted CP Adekimi as reiterating the police leadership’s commitment to creating constructive platforms through which young people can channel their energy, ideas and creativity towards promoting peace and security.
The Command thanked all participating stakeholders and youth groups for their support, stressing that it would continue to promote a people-centred policing model based on trust, partnership and proactive engagement.
It also urged young people to take the message of the initiative beyond the event by rejecting political and digital thuggery, using social media and other platforms responsibly, and supporting efforts to build safer communities across Kwara State.
