Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), through its Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), has facilitated the return of an out-of-school girl to the classroom in Kwara State after paying her outstanding school fees.
The intervention, the police said, aligns with the preventive policing agenda of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, which emphasises tackling the root causes of crime through community engagement, youth empowerment and early intervention.
According to POCACOV, the Kwara State Coordinator and members of the campaign team encountered the school-age girl hawking groundnuts during school hours and became concerned about her absence from school.
Further inquiries revealed that she had been forced to drop out because her parents could not afford to pay her school fees, leaving her with no option but to engage in street hawking to support herself and her family.
Following the discovery, the POCACOV team visited ERO OMO Secondary School, Ilorin, where they settled all the girl’s outstanding school fees, paving the way for her immediate return to the classroom.
The management of the school commended the Nigeria Police Force and POCACOV for what it described as a timely and compassionate intervention, noting that the gesture had restored hope to the child and reaffirmed the value of education.
The police said the intervention underscores POCACOV’s commitment to crime prevention through education, youth development and community partnership, stressing that supporting vulnerable children to remain in school is a strategic approach to reducing crime and social vices.
It added that the campaign would continue to implement preventive policing initiatives across the country to protect vulnerable members of society, empower young people and strengthen public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.
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