A British police officer is facing an investigation after defying bosses to appear on the Nigerian version of Big Brother – and then allegedly sleeping with a contestant on the show.
PC Khafi Kareem, 29, reportedly joined the police after a 16-year-old friend was stabbed to death. In 2015, she became a PC at Lambeth station after four years as a part-time special constable. In her career she has worked as a translator – speaking French, Italian and her native Yoruba – and as a spotter at an airport, looking for victims of female genital mutilation.
However, since entering the Big Brother house, she appears to have formed a relationship with Ekpata Gedoni, 31. Since then, a video has been published online from the show, allegedly showing the pair having sex under the sheets.
The video, which you can see below, has caused a huge controversy:
Kareem’s management team have hit back at a controversial article from The Sun, they describe as ‘brazenly sensational, defamatory’ and ‘repulsive’.
They sent UNILAD the following statement:
Also published on Kareem’s official Twitter account, captioned with the lone hashtag ‘#Khafi’, the press release outlines that the police officer’s management team were made aware of The Sun‘s initial ‘Loin Of Duty’ report – although The Sun allegedly never reached out to Kareem’s email for comment or confirmation of the claims.
The press release reads:
This brazenly sensational and 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 a mail of inquiry 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 deliberately and conveniently omitted to sell a pre-conceived narrative while responses from ‘outraged colleagues’ and ‘other papers’ riddle the publication.
The Met Police say Kareem was warned not to take part in the show, but after being granted unpaid leave for a supposedly unrelated matter, she entered the Big Brother Naija house anyway.
Explaining how she was granted leave after being denied permission to enter the show, a Met spokesperson told UNILAD:
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.
Prior to the refused request in relation to the show, the officer had requested a period of unpaid leave for an unrelated reason. This was authorised, and the officer is currently within the unpaid leave period.
The Met have said that Kareem will be the subject of an investigation from the Directorate of Professional Standards, and they ‘do not support the officer’s appearance nor does she represent the Met whilst appearing on the show’.
A Met Spokesperson continued:
The Met is aware that the officer has since appeared on the show without authority.
The Met does not support the officer’s appearance nor does she represent the Met whilst appearing on the show.
All police 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.
The Sun report that Met Police colleagues of Kareem say her antics with Gedoni on the reality TV show are ‘outrageous’ – although these quotes come from as yet unnamed and unconfirmed ‘Met sources’.
While the police argue that Kareem’s actions are unprofessional, her Big Brother publicity materials show that it wasn’t just about a holiday, saying, ‘She is not only hoping to win the prize money but she wants the exposure that being in Big Brother Naija house brings so that she can do societal good’.
The press release from Kareem’s management team adds Kareem is a ‘proud black female police officer, and they demand a public apology from The Sun regarding the ‘damaging’ article.
The press release continues:
We find The Sun UK‘s publication repulsive and damaging to the image and livelihood of our client.
Khafi is a proud black female police officer who prodes herself in her work and has dedicated her youthful years protecting and serving with her many skills which include the ability to speak at least five international languages.
We demand an immediate retraction of the publication by The Sun UK and a public apology to our client Khafilat Kareem within the next 48 hours.
Legal options are also being considered at this time.
Due to still being in the Big Brother Naija house, Kareem has been unable to comment herself as the rules of the show don’t permit outside contact.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.