Two senior police officers in southern Nigeria have been relieved of their duties after suspected cult members reportedly renovated a police facility and held a party to mark its completion.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Abuloma Division in Rivers State and the officer overseeing the local police outpost were removed following the emergence of video footage showing the event on Thursday.

The viral footage appeared to show individuals associated with local cult groups celebrating at the newly refurbished facility in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

In a statement issued on Friday, Rivers State Police Commissioner Olugbenga Adepoju condemned the incident, stating that public law enforcement institutions must not be used to confer legitimacy on criminal organizations.

Zero-tolerance policy

“Police facilities are public institutions established for the protection of citizens and the enforcement of law,” said command spokesperson Blessing Agabe, reading the commissioner’s statement. “They must not become platforms through which criminal groups seek public validation or influence.”

The command announced that both officers have been queried and suspended from their roles pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

The inquiry will examine how the project was funded and whether police personnel breached professional standards by authorizing or accepting the renovation.

Cult groups, which originated as university fraternities, have evolved into influential armed gangs across parts of Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, often linked to violent crime, extortion, and political violence.