The National Youth Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Oluwafemi Oyetunde, has called for a partnership between the church and the Oyo State Police Command to promote crime prevention and improve relations between young people and law enforcement officers. Pastor Oyetunde made the call when he led a delegation of the church’s National Youth Affairs to the Oyo State Police Command headquarters on Thursday.
He said the church was interested in working with the police to prevent crime and build trust between young people and law enforcement officers.
‘We are here to also talk about crime prevention. How can we prevent crime, and how can we also build trust between young people and the police?’ he said.
He added that religious organisations had a role to play in national development and expressed the church’s readiness to partner with the police.
Pastor Oyetunde also sought information on police career opportunities, including short-service entry pathways, to enable young people to understand the available options.
Responding, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, urged young people in the state to shun violence, familiarise themselves with criminal laws and pursue peaceful means of expressing their grievances.
The commissioner warned that ignorance of the law could expose young people to criminal liability, urging them to understand the consequences of their actions.
‘Criminal law is like a naked wire. Any little touch can be dangerous.
‘One of the things that can help young people avoid violating the criminal law is to know the law itself,’ he said.
CP Olugbenga also urged young people to remain peaceful when protesting or expressing dissatisfaction with public institutions, noting that their actions should not infringe on the rights of other citizens.
‘We are not saying you cannot come to protest. You can present your grievances, but you must be peaceful and civil,’ he said.
The police commissioner identified community policing as an important approach to improving relations between law enforcement officers and members of the public.
‘Community policing makes it possible for us to identify a common problem and discuss the way forward. It will not be the police alone solving that problem,’ he said.
He said mutual understanding and communication were necessary to build trust between the police and young people.
‘You can have trust when you understand yourselves,’ he added.
Pastor Oyetunde’s three-day visit to Oyo State comprised an executive meeting with the leadership of the Mission’s Youth Affairs in Oyo on the first day, official visits to key institutions on the second day and a 24-hour Prayer and Word Retreat, themed ‘BUILDUP’, on the third day.
The delegation included Pastor Fabulous Oluwabusiwa, Pastor-in-Charge of Province (PICP), Youth Province 4; Pastor Wole Akindele, Assistant Pastor-in-Charge of Province (APICP); Pastor Oyesanmi James, Regional Youth Evangelist, Region 21; Pastor Oluwafemi Oladele, Central Operations Officer; Pastor Daniel Nwoji, Director of Programs; and Victory Adudu, Director of Prayer.
Others were Pastor Moses Oladimeji, Regional Youth Pastor, Region 42; Pastor David Olagunju, Regional Youth Pastor, Region 21; Pastor Enoch Olatunji, Area Coordinator, Youth Province, C12; and Ayotunde Folahan, Assistant Director of Media, NYAYA.