A black Metropolitan Police officer who claimed a colleague called him a “dodgy Nigerian” lied about the case to pervert an employment grievance procedure, a gross misconduct hearing has ruled.
Detective Sergeant Nonso Anidi, 39, was sacked but is appealing the decision.
“I am a clean and honest person,” he told the Standard.
He called on the force’s watchdog to investigate conversations between senior officers ahead of his dismissal.
DS Anidi had a meeting with boss Inspector Chris Thompson, who is white, and had been challenged over overtime requests in March 2023.
Insp Thompson was accused of making a racial slur, which he denied, but had secretly recorded their conversation.
Commander Jason Prins, who chaired a disciplinary panel, believed his line manager used the word “dodgy” when referring to DS Anidi’s booking of annual leave on the Met’s internal system.
However, the word “Nigerian” was not heard throughout, Cmdr Prins concluded, although he accepted the inspector’s recording did not capture the meeting’s entirety.
He said: “In considering harm, while there was no psychological harm to Inspector Thompson, the consequences on his career could have been significant if the officer’s false allegations had been found proven.
“The panel were informed that since these allegations, Insp Thompson was put on restrictive duties and concluded this was actual harm.
“The panel also considered this is a type of reputational harm, both to Insp Thompson and to the Met.
“There was a malign intent in trying to remove Insp Thompson as his line manager by falsely accusing him of racism.
“The conduct found proved is incompatible with the role of a police officer.”
Cmdr Prins said the sergeant “acted dishonestly” in a way that “significantly undermines the trust that the public need to have in their police for the service to be effective”.
DS Anidi served for ten years working on the Grenfell Tower fire investigation, a murder squad and a unit tackling predatory sex offenders in Enfield and Haringey.
He said his work was praised by colleagues and members of the public.
The National Black Police Association alleged DS Anidi’s case backed up findings from last week’s damning review which found anti-black racism is “baked” into Scotland Yard’s HR systems, leadership, governance and culture.
Author Dr Shereen Daniels concluded darker-skinned staff were punished for speaking out whereas lighter employees received quicker empathy and leniency.
Father-of-four Anidi told the Standard: “I loved my job and trusted these people to look after and support me.
“But you destroy the trust and confidence I have when you secretly record me.”
Asked if Insp Thompson might have lost his job had he not made the recording, the former officer said: “I don’t know.”
Anidi claimed: “I’m appealing this decision because it is ridiculous. I did not lie.
“If I was lying why would I put myself out there in public saying prove me wrong?
“I am not an evil person that would call someone a racist. Would I change anything in this situation? No. I will take this to Heaven.”
Andy George, president of the NBPA, called for the Met and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to re-investigate.
He alleged: “This case highlights why so many black officers remain fearful of reporting racism within policing.
“When an allegation of racism results in the complainant being dismissed rather than the circumstances being properly scrutinised, it reinforces a sense that the system is stacked against those who speak up.
“The ethical concerns surrounding the recording, particularly the fact that the beginning of the conversation was missing, raises issues of fairness in the misconduct process.
“This matter goes beyond one officer. It speaks to a culture where those who challenge racism risk being portrayed as dishonest or problematic, while trust in internal processes continues to erode.”
A Met spokesman said: “Detective Sergeant Nonso Anidi was dismissed without notice after a misconduct panel found he falsely accused his line manager of making a racist remark.
“One aspect of the evidence heard by the panel was a recording of a meeting between DS Anidi and his manager. They thoroughly assessed this recording and found no evidence of the remark being made.
“Having properly assessed all the available evidence, the panel concluded DS Anidi had breached the standards of professional behaviour at the level of gross misconduct and he was subsequently dismissed.”
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