By Emmanuel Nduka
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens that they ought to protect.
Heritage Times HT reports that Badenoch has maintained a steady troll on Nigeria prior to becoming leader of the UK opposition Conservative Party.
Her latest comment came during an interview with a UK journalist, according to The Niche.
When asked by the British journalist if she trusted the UK police, she responded: “I do. My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch”. “They took his shoe and his watch?” the interviewer exclaimed in shock.
“It’s a very poor country. People do all sorts of things. So, giving people a gun is just a license to intimidate. But that’s not just the problem. That is not the bar we should use for the British Police. When I was burgled, for example, the police were there. They were helpful before they eventually caught the person. This was in 2004, that was 20 years ago,” Badenoch continued.
Few days ago, Badenoch reaffirmed her past remarks about Nigeria despite criticism from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who accused her of disparaging her country of origin.
Born in the UK but largely raised in Nigeria, Badenoch has often spoken about the challenges of growing up in a country marked by corruption and insecurity.
Last Monday, Shettima suggested that Badenoch could “remove the Kemi from her name” if she was not proud of her Nigerian heritage.
According to BBC, while responding to Shettima’s comments, Badenoch’s spokesman emphasised that the Conservative leader “stands by what she says” and reiterated her commitment to speaking truthfully. “She is not the PR for Nigeria. She tells the truth. She tells it like it is. She is not going to couch her words,” he told reporters.
