One of the contestants in the ongoing Big Brother Naija show, Khafilat Kareem, has come under fire after her employers, Metropolitan Police Force, UK, denied knowledge of her participation in the reality show.
The 29-year-old was said to have joined the force as a PC based at Lambeth station in 2015 after she worked part-time as a special constable for four years.
After she joined BBNaija, she was filmed live allegedly having sex with another housemate, Ekpata Gedoni, 31.
The Sun UK did a report on it, titled, ‘Loin of Duty: Met Cop poster girl faces sack for having sex on Nigerian Big Brother after being told not to take part.’
The paper also quoted some of her colleagues and bosses who said the sex romp was shocking and had brought shame to the force.
Met Police, in a statement, said Khafilat, aka Khafi, never got permission to be on the show.
The force said all officers had a duty to behave professionally, whether on or off duty.
The statement read, “A PC, attached to the Met’s transformation command, requested permission to take part in a reality television entertainment show in Nigeria. Permission was not given.
“The Met is aware that the officer has since appeared on the show without authority.
“The Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed and will be carrying out an investigation into the circumstances.
“The Met does not support the officer’s appearance nor does she represents the Met whilst appearing on the show.
“All officers have a duty to behave with professionalism and in a manner that does not bring the Met into disrepute whether on or off duty.
“Those who do not behave professionally risk breaching police standards of professional behaviour and may be dealt with by way of misconduct proceedings.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Khafi’s management threatened legal suit against The Sun UK for the report.
“This brazenly defamatory outburst by The Sun UK is written in poor taste without considering the ethics of journalism which seeks balance and objectivity.
“At no time did The Sun UK send mail of enquiry to Khafi’s official email which is blasted across her social media platforms under active management to confirm or refute the claims in the publication.
“Khafi’s side of the story is conveniently and deliberately omitted to sell a pre-conceived narrative while responses from ‘outraged colleagues’ and ‘other papers’ riddled the publication.“This comes from a repressive culture of shaming and characterising women for their sexual decisions and life’s choices.
“We find the UK’s publication repulsive and damaging to the image and livelihood of our client.
“Khafi is a proud black police officer who prides herself in her work and has dedicated her youthful years to protecting and serving with her many skills which include the ability to speak at least five international languages,” the statement read.
Her representative demanded a retraction and apology within 48 hours, threatening to take legal action if nothing was done.
Khafi is reported to be on a salary of £30,000 (N13m) per annum in the UK.
