The Supreme Vikings Confraternity | Principals & Principalities Podcast

In March 2021, a 27-year-old maritime student led his cult group in beheading a rival, filmed it, posted it on WhatsApp — then took the dead man's legs, hands, and private parts to a native doctor to be ground into charms. His name was Nzubechukwu Victor Okonkwo. He was a member of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity.In this episode of Principals & Principalities, host Ayomide Odubonojo-Kinoshi traces the Supreme Vikings Confraternity — also known as De Norsemen, the Adventurers — from its founding by three breakaway Buccaneers at the University of Port Harcourt in 1983, through its transformation into the Icelanders, the armed wing handed to a street fighter named Ateke Tom. We follow Ateke Tom from gang leader to the man President Olusegun Obasanjo personally summoned to Abuja for peace talks in 2004 — and finally to a traditional throne, crowned Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom in 2017.This week we examine the numbers: 424 people killed in Rivers State cult violence between 2019 and 2022. 109 cult-related deaths linked to the SVC in 2024 alone. Nine dead in three days in Calabar. Eight dead in Benin City. And the political allegations that have followed the confraternity for decades — including claims tying a former Rivers State governor to the group, and twelve sitting members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who the SVC itself says are members.This episode asks the question that defines this podcast: In Nigeria, is crime ever just crime?Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes research, upcoming cases, and episode drops.Follow us On⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(x)