# Badenoch saw man beaten to death in Nigeria > Conservative leader recalls witnessing mob violence as a schoolgirl and says it shaped her views on immigration and Britain's safety. - Title: Badenoch saw man beaten to death in Nigeria · The Independent - Summary: Conservative leader recalls witnessing mob violence as a schoolgirl and says it shaped her views on immigration and Britain's safety. - Keywords: kemi badenoch, conservative party, nigeria, violence, immigration, racism in britain, The Independent - Source: The Independent — https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/kemi-badenoch-nigeria-racism-immigration-marvel-b3080782.html - Published: 2026-11-07T08:20:17+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: kemi badenoch, conservative party, nigeria, violence, immigration, racism in britain, politics, news ## A thief beaten to death Kemi Badenoch witnessed a man beaten to death by a mob in Nigeria when she was eight or nine years old. The thief had snatched a watch from her mother's friend during a traffic jam. > A mob arises from nowhere, and this person is literally... beaten to death, and it's horrible. ## Jungle justice in Nigeria Badenoch's family called such mob killings jungle justice. She said violence in Nigeria was common, including armed robbery, attacks on neighbours, burglaries, car thefts and lynch mobs. > Jungle justice, that's the phrase that my family refer to it as. ## How the mob operates Badenoch explained that in jungle justice, someone shouts thief and points. The mob takes over immediately. The accused may be guilty or innocent, and the outcome is often fatal. > The mob takes over. Someone shouts thief, and they point, and that's basically it. It may be the thief, it may be the wrong person. ## Other violence she witnessed Badenoch also saw victims of necklacing, where a burning tyre is placed around a person. She recalled seeing bodies with blackened skin and tyres around them on the way to school. ## Born in Britain, raised in Nigeria Badenoch was born in the UK to Nigerian parents in nineteen eighty but spent her childhood in Nigeria. She returned to Britain when she was sixteen years old. ## Violence shaped her immigration views Badenoch said her experience of violence in Africa shaped her political approach to UK immigration. She understands why millions want to move to Europe or the US for security and safety. > The reason millions of people from around the world want to move to Europe or the US is often because of security, not feeling safe. ## Defending tougher immigration curbs Badenoch defended her call for tougher immigration restrictions, saying people are exploiting the kindness of the United Kingdom. > People are exploiting the kindness of the United Kingdom. ## Never experienced racism in Britain Badenoch said she had never been the victim of racism living in the UK. She called Britain an amazing country and said it is not a racist country. > Never. That is the honest truth. It's one of the reasons I say that this is an amazing country. This is not a racist country. ## Her definition of racism Badenoch said racism means people who deliberately disadvantage you because of your race, not someone making an off-colour joke. There are racists in Britain but that does not make it a racist country. > My definition of racism is people who would deliberately disadvantage you because of your race, not somebody making an off-colour joke. ## On the N-word Badenoch said only black people have used the N-word to her, and not in a hostile way. She has probably had people dislike her because of her skin colour but cannot prove it. > Only black people - and not in a hostile way. ## Meeting her husband Hamish Badenoch met her husband Hamish when she was twenty-nine at a Tory function. Both wanted to be Conservative MPs and were suspicious of each other at first. ## Hamish proposed in Yorkshire Hamish proposed to Badenoch on bended knee during a weekend trip to the Yorkshire countryside in twenty eleven. They married a year later in twenty twelve and now have three children. > He had a ring and went down on one knee and asked me to marry him. ## Marvel films inspire her politics Badenoch is a near obsessive fan of Marvel superhero movies. She draws inspiration from the hero arc: something terrible happens at the beginning, then failure, then big success, then recognition. > The heroes arc - something terrible happens at the beginning that helps shape the hero. ## She loves team-ups, not solo acts Badenoch said she loves team-ups and is not a one man band, adding that her largely anonymous Shadow Cabinet team will be glad to hear it. > I love that arc. ## Key takeaway Kemi Badenoch told The Independent she witnessed a man beaten to death by a mob in Nigeria when she was eight or nine, an experience she says shaped her political approach to immigration.