Over 70 Nigerians land in Police net in Italy over cultism, human trafficking

No fewer than 73 Nigerians who are members of the notorious and dreaded Supreme Vikings Confraternity in Italy have been arrested by the Police in Italy.

Reports says that among the 73 members of the dreaded cult members arrested includes the leader who was identified as 50-year-old Emmanuel Okenwa aka ‘Boogye’.

The Italian police was quoted to have said that Okenwa was arrested by undercover officers in the city of Verona as he prepared to flee the country.

More than 200 Italian policemen were involved in the operation which was carried out in Turin and Ferrara.

In all, 31 people were arrested in Ferrara. A further 43 were taken into custody in Turin, including several women who allegedly ran prostitution rackets.

According to the Italian authorities, the Vikings and other groups traffic Nigerian women to Italy and force them to work as prostitutes.

Further investigations reveal that gang members have names such as “Strike chief”, “Executional” and “Arkman”.

Each group demands a cult-like loyalty from its followers and subjects’ new members to initiation rites.

Bologna preliminary investigations judge Gianluca Petragnani Gelosi said the Vikings’ criminal plan was to “violently annihilate” other Nigerian crime outfits and take over their turf.

Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said the police guard against criminal organisations and their illegal trafficking was high even amid the COVID emergency.

The outlawed group, which also goes by the name Arobaga Vikings or Norsemen Kclub, according to reports, is organised into local cells called Decks and is present in many Italian cities.

According to reports, rival groups include the Maphites, the Eiye and the Black Axe, all of them largely composed of Nigerian immigrants.

Trafficking Nigerian women to Italy to become street prostitutes is one of their most lucrative criminal activities.