Cultists have renovated a police station. The incident occurred in Rivers State. Members of a group identified as DNKI, also known as Vikings, carried out the work. They operated under the name Trans Marine Platoon. The renovation covered a section of the police station at Abuloma, Okuru Junction, Trans Amadi. It was unveiled on 15 October. Videos showed participants in red shirts. Police officers attended. A banner read “SAY NO TO CRIME & SOCIAL VICES.” The footage spread online. Reactions ranged from shock to humour to concern.
Cultism in Rivers State is not new. The Vikings and Black Axe confraternities emerged from Nigerian universities in the 1970s and 1980s. They evolved into organised criminal networks. Rivers became a hotspot. Politicians used cult groups as thugs during elections. In 2019 and 2023, cult violence disrupted voting in several local government areas. The state has launched repeated crackdowns. In 2024, police raided cult hideouts in Trans Amadi. In 2025, the state government announced an amnesty programme. The lines between enforcement and accommodation have always been blurred. This renovation makes them visible.
Naija Confra, a group that monitors cult activity, shared the footage. It said it encourages cultists to reject violence. It also opposed cultism within security institutions. “These institutions are the common man’s last hope in the fight against crime and must never be infiltrated or compromised by cult groups,” it said. The group asked a pointed question. “If cultists renovate or build police stations, will the police still arrest them in the same police stations they built?”
The question is rhetorical. It is also the core issue. A police station symbolises state authority. When criminal groups fund its renovation, they compromise the symbol. The banner said, “Say no to crime.” The renovators are accused of being the crime. The police attended the unveiling. They did not arrest anyone. The state has not commented. The police command has not issued a statement.
Winners: The cult group, which gains legitimacy and visibility. The police station, which gains a facelift. Politicians who benefit from cult networks. Losers: The police, whose authority is undermined. Residents, who lose trust in law enforcement. Cult victims, who see their attackers in partnership with the state. The anti-cultism campaign, which loses credibility.
Bottom Line: A police station was renovated by suspected cultists. The police attended. Nobody was arrested. The banner said no to crime. The renovators are the crime. If the police cannot arrest cultists at a station they built, they cannot arrest them anywhere. Rivers State has a problem. This is what it looks like.