Vancouver Police Board vice-chair resigns following social media comments

The Vancouver Police Board says its vice-chair has resigned following statements she posted to social media that were inconsistent with its code of conduct.

Screenshots of the Instagram posts made by Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba were shared on the online discussion website Reddit, where they drew criticism from users for their commentary on immigration and religion.

Speaking with CBC News Friday, Sakoma-Fadugba apologized for the content of her posts, but said the screenshots were missing context from her original posts.

She said she resigned from the board for personal reasons.

CBC News has not independently verified the social media posts, as both they and the Instagram account they were posted on have since been removed. 

Of the screenshots shared to Reddit, one post discusses how "mass immigration" and "a growing aversion to assimilation" are "transforming Canada into a place where a shared identity is disappearing."

Another post questions Diwali celebrations at schools, saying the "push for secular education isn't about religion — it's about erasing Christian values from the lives of our children."

A third post references "gender transitions" while criticizing a "woke culture that pits children against their parents." 

Another claims Christian values serve as Canada's moral compass and questions what would happen to the country if a different religion became more dominant.

Sakoma-Fadugba told CBC News the screenshots posted to Reddit were taken out of context and do not "capture the entirety of the conversation that was being had."

"I'm genuinely sorry that it has caused so much harm," she said. "That was not my intent."

Sakoma-Fadugba said she immigrated to Canada from Nigeria as a young child. 

She said she joined the police board in 2021 amid the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. One of her goals, she said, was to serve as a bridge between Black and South Asian communities.

She added that she has a deep respect for Hinduism, and said learning about the religion has strengthened her Christian faith.