The war of words between Conservative Party member, Kemi Badenoch, and the federal government took another turn for the worse after the former took a swipe at the conduct of the police, accusing them of robbing citizens they were supposed to protect.

Her recent statement accusing the country’s police of theft and corruption has sparked widespread discussion among Nigerians at home and abroad.

“The police in Nigeria would rob us. The police stole my brother’s shoes and his watch. It’s a very poor country, so people do all sorts of things,” begins Badenoch.

“They took his shoes and his watch?” Kemi continued: “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 recently detached herself from Northern Nigeria, which she referred to as a haven for Islamism and Boko Haram.

“I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity [Yoruba],” she said. “I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where Islamism is.

“Being Yoruba is my true identity, and I refuse to be lumped with northern people of Nigeria, who ‘were our ethnic enemies,’ all in the name of being called a Nigerian. Somebody once told me when I was very young that my surname was a name for people who were warriors. They protected the crown, and that’s what I see myself as doing.”

Speaking at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja last week, Vice President Kashim Shettima strongly denounced several derogatory comments from the newly elected UK Conservative Party leader, saying that she is entitled to her opinion.

“She is entitled to her own opinions, she has every right to remove the Kemi from her name, but that does not underscore the fact that the greatest black nation on earth is the nation called Nigeria,” he said. “One out of every three or four black men is a Nigerian and by 2050, Nigeria will support the United States and will be the third most populous nation on earth.”

Badenoch’s barrage of attacks against the Nigerian government started in 2022 when she lamented her experience growing up in Nigeria. The federal government is yet to react to her recent comment on the police.