diff --git a/net/ipv4/devinet.c b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
index e84d3cf92247..2ed4c706ca9e 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/devinet.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
@@ -340,18 +340,6 @@ static void inetdev_destroy(struct in_device *in_dev)
 	in_dev_put(in_dev);
 }
 
-static int __init inet_blackhole_dev_init(void)
-{
-	struct in_device *in_dev;
-
-	rtnl_lock();
-	in_dev = inetdev_init(blackhole_netdev);
-	rtnl_unlock();
-
-	return PTR_ERR_OR_ZERO(in_dev);
-}
-late_initcall(inet_blackhole_dev_init);
-
 int inet_addr_onlink(struct in_device *in_dev, __be32 a, __be32 b)
 {
 	const struct in_ifaddr *ifa;
@@ -2974,4 +2962,9 @@ void __init devinet_init(void)
 		panic("Unable to register inet_af_ops\n");
 
 	rtnl_register_many(devinet_rtnl_msg_handlers);
+
+	rtnl_lock();
+	if (IS_ERR(inetdev_init(blackhole_netdev)))
+		panic("IP: failed to allocate in_device for blackhole_netdev\n");
+	rtnl_unlock();
 }