By Desire Emmanuel
A Divisional Police Officer in Ondo State has landed in trouble for allowing a social media influencer, Adefolarin Ayomiposi, popularly known as Mandykiss, to record videos and take photos of two women she accused of cyberbullying right inside the station he heads.
The man, who is the DPO of the Enu Owa Divisional Headquarters, has therefore been removed from his position and redeployed to another police station as investigation into the matter continues.
According to the command in a statement on Tuesday, October 21, the action became necessary after a video surfaced online showing the said influencer recording videos and taking photographs of suspects while in police custody at Enu-Owa Division.
The viral videos and photographs, which have generated widespread public concern, prompted a swift internal review by the command.
It was gathered that preliminary findings revealed that no police personnel accompanied Mandykiss during the purported arrest. Instead, she was reportedly aided by her internet followers, who provided information leading to the location of the two women— Mrs. Akinwole Sabitu and her daughter, Miss Akinwole Oyindamola —whom she accused of alleged cyberbullying.
The command wrote: “After effecting the arrest, she was seen recording a video inside her vehicle while conveying the suspects to the station. Upon arrival, she handed them over to the police but went further to take the videos and photographs within the station premises and post them on her social media platforms — an act contrary to standard police procedure and inconsistent with the legal principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”
This, the command said, demonstrated a clear lapse in supervisory responsibility and professional judgment on the part of the Divisional Police Officer, and this has made the command to redeploy him to another station that was not disclosed.
