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MEET Nigerian-British Kemi Badenoch favoured to lead Tory back to power in UK
Born in a private Catholic maternity hospital in Wimbledon, she grew up in Nigeria where her father was a medical doctor, a general practitioner, and her mother a lecturer in physiology.
When the country’s economy collapsed in the 1990s, her parents took advantage of her British passport to get her out, sending her at the age of 16 to live with a family friend in Morden, south London, to continue her education.
Ms Badenoch – who spoke Yoruba before she spoke English – later said that she was “to all intents and purposes a first-generation immigrant”.
Enrolling at a local college to study A-levels, she also worked part-time at McDonald’s to support herself.
Having come from a solidly middle-class background with an assumption she would go on to become a doctor, it came as something of a shock to find herselft among working class youngsters of whom little was expected.
With her tutors seeking to deter her from applying for “things I wouldn’t get into”, she decided to study computer engineering at Sussex University.
The attitudes she encountered among the left-wing students – “snotty middle-class north Londoners who couldn’t get into Oxbridge” – helped drive her into conservative politics.
In particular, she was infuriated by the “high-minded” way they spoke about Africa, while understanding little about the realities of life on the continent.
“These stupid lefty white kids didn’t know what they were talking about,” she told The Times. “And that instinctively made me think ‘these are not my people’.”
On leaving university, she initially worked as a software engineer before moving into banking as an associate director at Coutts, later becoming a digital director at The Spectator magazine.
In 2005, at the age of 25, she joined the Conservative Party, citing Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and (perhaps more surprisingly) Airey Neave – who was assassinated by the INLA in 1979 – among her political heroes.
She stood unsuccessfully for the Labour-held Dulwich and West Norwood constituency in the 2005 general election but gained election to Westminster in the safe Tory seat of Saffron Walden in 2017.
An ardent Brexiteer, she made an immediate impression, describing the vote to leave the EU as “the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom” in her maiden speech and securing a place on the executive of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee.
When Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019, he handed Ms Badenoch her first government role as junior minister for children and families.
Promoted to equalities minister, she created headlines with her outspoken defence of the controversial Sewell report, commissioned in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, which found the UK was not institutionally racist.
Her comments reflected a long-standing distrust of identity politics – she has complained at the way her three mixed race children with her banker husband, Hamish Badenoch, aree regarded solely as black.
Her rise through the ministerial ranks under Mr Johnson did not stop her joining the tidal wave of resignations, precipitated by the Chris Pincher scandal, which finally forced him out of No 10 in 2022.
Despite her relative inexperience, Ms Badenoch stood in the contest to succeed him as Tory leader, finishing a creditable fourth out of the eight candidates to make it on to the ballot paper, dramatically raising her profile in the process.
She was rewarded with promotion to Cabinet by the winner, Liz Truss, who made her international trade secretary – a post she retained under Rishi Sunak, who also gave her the women and equalities brief.
While publicly loyal during his premiership, Ms Badenoch was reported to have ripped into him following the Tories’ general election defeat, branding his decision to call a snap poll without consulting the Cabinet unconstitutional.
Launching her second leadership bid in two years, she argued they had “talked right but governed left” as she made her pitch for a smaller state with government doing “fewer things” but doing them with “brilliance”.
Ms Badenoch stirred further controversy with a newspaper article in which she stated that “not all cultures are equally valid” in that immigrants to the UK should “share our values and contribute to our society”.
It will now be for those party members who have for so long adored her to decide whether she can now be the leader to set them on the road back to power.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo has been confirmed as Governor by the Edo Petition Tribunal in Abuja.
He had earlier won on September 21, 2024 on the political cum electoral turf when he clinched the first prize.
He defeated Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, his closest competitor, who was banking on the power of incumbent PDP administration in the state to win.
Ighodalo and the PDP had filed their petition at the Tribunal challenging Okpebholo and APC’s victory at the poll.
But delivering its judgement in the petition on Wednesday, the Edo Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal ruled that PDP petition failed for lack of competent witnesses
The Tribunal said that the PDP petition challenging the outcome of the 2024 governorship election also failed, because of insufficient evidence to substantiate claims of electoral malpractice.
The petitioners had alleged that the failure to properly record electoral materials prior to the election had affected the results.
However, the Tribunal found that while documents were submitted, no witnesses were called to properly authenticate them, rendering the evidence inadmissible.
Of the 19 witnesses presented by the petitioners, 14 were ward and local government agents, while their star witness, who claimed to be a director of strategy, played no direct role in the conduct of the election.
The Tribunal noted that none of these witnesses provided testimony on the alleged failure of prior recording of electoral materials, deeming them incompetent to testify on the matter.
Furthermore, the Tribunal emphasized that for allegations of over-voting to be proven, petitioners must provide oral evidence, in line with the precedent set by the Supreme Court.
It stressed that it was bound to adhere strictly to the Supreme Court’s roadmap in adjudicating election disputes.
According to the statement, the arrests took place on Monday, March 31, 2025, following credible intelligence.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said that its officers arrested 51 illegal migrants from Mali in New Nyanya, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The NIS made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Public Relations Officer, ACI A.S. Akinlabi.
According to the statement, the arrests took place on Monday, March 31, 2025, following credible intelligence.
A breakdown of the arrested migrants revealed that 11 were female, while 40 were male, with ages ranging between 16 and 19 years.
Akinlabi stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested illegal migrants may have been victims of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM), as they were found without valid travel documents or residence permits.
“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Service suggest that the migrants may have been victims of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM), as they were found without valid travel documents or residence permits,” Akinlabi stated.
The statement further noted that the detained individuals have been taken into the custody of the Service for further profiling and investigation.
“The arrested individuals have been taken into the custody of the Service for further profiling and investigation to determine the circumstances of their migration and any potential involvement of trafficking or smuggling networks or syndicates,” Akinlabi added.
Akinlabi further stated that the NIS would determine the circumstances surrounding their migration and uncover any potential involvement of trafficking or smuggling syndicates.
The statement added, “The Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s borders are protected against illegal migration while upholding the rights of migrants who comply with the country’s immigration laws.
“The Service continues to work closely with relevant authorities and stakeholders to combat smuggling of migrants and counter trafficking in persons effectively.
“The NIS reassures the general public of its unwavering commitment to National Security and Migration Management while encouraging citizens to report suspicious migration activities to the nearest NIS Commands and Formations.”
The remains of an engineer, Chigozie Udalu, have been exhumed from a shallow grave in Akwukwu-Igbo, the headquarters of Oshimili North Local Government Area in Delta State.
Recall that the engineer, who was contracted to construct offices in Akwukwu-Igbo, was murdered and buried in a shallow grave.
Though the incident occurred in December 2024, details only emerged recently after two suspects were arrested in connection with the crime.
Assailants Murder Construction Engineer In Delta State Community, Bury In Shallow Grave
A community source revealed that the suspects, identified as Tiv youths from Benue State, allegedly killed the engineer and concealed his body on a farm.
“Two Tiv boys from Benue State have been arrested in connection with the crime. They buried the engineer’s remains in a shallow grave on a farm,” the source stated.
The Delta State Police Command confirmed the incident, with spokesman Edafe Bright acknowledging that an investigation was ongoing.
“We are aware of the incident, and our men are working to ensure others involved are apprehended,” Bright revealed.
On Wednesday, the remains of the victim were exhumed by the police and the Delta State government.
A police source revealed that the arrested suspects alleged the engineer owed them money and often verbally abused them.
“They had also intended to steal cement from the site but perceived the engineer as an obstacle. On December 10, 2024, they planned to strike him with a 2×2 plank but assumed he was physically strong and might overpower them.
“On December 11, the Tiv boys put a rope around his neck from behind, causing strangulation. Upon his death, they buried him in a shallow grave on the farm,” the source explained.
“Following the murder, the suspects reportedly completed their contract at the site and stole the victim’s phone, making several attempts to transfer money via a mobile app.
“Additionally, the landlord of the construction site was accused of being involved in money rituals. In an attempt to clear his name, he was taken to shrines to swear an oath before the victim’s family.
“The landlord recounted his ordeal, stating that he nearly gave up on the case due to the challenges he faced with the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Asaba.
“However, a police officer suggested he visit Ekpan Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Aliyu Shaba. The officer assured him that within 30 days, the truth would be uncovered.
“Upon arrival at Ekpan, the landlord briefed the DPO, who assembled his team and employed sophisticated investigative techniques, leading to the arrest of two suspects.
“One of the suspects later confessed to knowing the location where the engineer was buried,” the source said.
A young man was also arrested and transferred to the SCID for openly threatening the victim in the presence of the landlord, further highlighting the brutality of the crime.
Of the four individuals arrested, two are considered principal suspects. Meanwhile, a manhunt is ongoing for the remaining suspects who are still at large.
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