(DDM) – The Imo State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of three officers seen in a viral video allegedly celebrating and displaying symbols of the Vikings confraternity, a deadly cult organization blamed for countless killings and kidnappings across Nigeria.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the officers, Inspector Obinna Peter, Corporal Amaechi Augustine, and Corporal Ejikeme Victor, were apprehended after the footage drew nationwide condemnation and sparked heated discussions about the moral decay and double standards within Nigeria’s security agencies.
Police spokesperson Henry Okoye, in a statement released on Saturday, said the officers were immediately detained following an order from Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, who described their conduct as “a shameful exhibition of indiscipline and gross misconduct unbecoming of officers of the law.”
Okoye confirmed that the suspects would face a disciplinary hearing on Monday through an Orderly Room Trial, a standard internal process used to determine appropriate sanctions for erring officers.
He stated, “The conduct displayed in the viral video is highly unprofessional and does not reflect the discipline, ethics, and values of the Nigeria Police Force.
The outcome of the Orderly Room Trial will be communicated to the public in due course.”
The viral clip, first shared by NaijaConfra, an anti-cultism advocacy group, showed the officers wearing Vikings (DNKI) berets while chanting confraternity slogans, an act that has since ignited outrage across the country.
NaijaConfra’s statement condemned the act as “a national disgrace,” accusing the police of turning a blind eye to cult infiltration within their ranks.
The platform said, “How can such officers arrest or prosecute cultists when they are members themselves? This is why impunity thrives, those meant to enforce the law are fraternizing with criminals.”
DDM reports that the Vikings confraternity, also known as Aro Mate or De Norsemen Kclub International (DNKI), is one of Nigeria’s most violent cult groups.
Its influence stretches from universities to urban centers, with factions reportedly involved in political thuggery, assassinations, and armed robbery.
Human rights groups, including SERAP and the Rule of Law and Accountability Forum, have urged the police to make the disciplinary hearing public and prosecute any officer found guilty under the Anti-Cultism Act.
However, the development has also reignited anger among Nigerians over what many see as the selective enforcement of justice, as the same police force has failed to curb worsening banditry in the North.
While these officers in Imo face immediate detention and trial for cult association, bandit groups across Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, and Kaduna States reportedly continue to collect monthly “taxes” and protection levies from residents without consequence.
Critics argue that the police appear more reactive to viral videos than to the daily atrocities committed by armed groups holding thousands of Nigerians hostage.
Social activist Deji Adeyanju wrote on X, “They are quick to parade low-ranking officers for show, but in the North, terrorists collect taxes, run parallel governments, and nothing happens. The hypocrisy is staggering.”
DDM gathered that in parts of northern Nigeria, bandits have established checkpoints, extort communities, and demand ransom payments openly, yet arrests are rare, and prosecutions almost nonexistent.
Political analysts say the disparity in response exposes the deep-rooted regional and institutional bias that continues to undermine Nigeria’s security system.
Meanwhile, the Imo State Government has said it will wait for the conclusion of the investigation before taking any position.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hope Uzodinma, Oguwike Nwachukwu, told Sunday PUNCH: “Launching an investigation is commendable. Let’s wait for the outcome before the government decides on the next step.”
The scandal has further deepened debate about the credibility of the Nigerian Police Force, which faces widespread criticism over corruption, human rights abuses, and internal rot.
Public reaction remains fierce online, with many demanding that the same energy used to discipline cult-linked policemen in the South be applied to dislodging terrorists and criminal networks in the North.
As DDM observed, Nigerians are calling for a uniform standard of accountability, arguing that selective justice not only undermines trust in institutions but also emboldens criminality nationwide.
The Imo Police Command has assured that “no one, regardless of rank or position, will be spared if found guilty.”
But for many Nigerians, the real question remains, who will arrest the bandits walking free, collecting taxes from citizens under police protection?