Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Nigerian counterpart on recent human rights abuses in Nigeria.

The UK Government's position on human rights is firm: they are universal and must apply equally to all people. We condemn all human rights abuses in Nigeria and encourage all parties to work together to enable the people of Nigeria to exercise their rights safely, peacefully and in line with the rule of law.

The UK Government works closely with the Nigerian Government and international and civil society partners on improving the human rights compliance and accountability of the Nigerian authorities. We are deeply concerned by violence during protests in Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria, which has tragically claimed lives. Our thoughts are with the families of all those affected. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 21 October calling for the Nigerian Government to urgently investigate reports of brutality by its security forces and hold those responsible to account. I repeated this message to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 23 October. We also remain committed to helping Nigeria tackle the ongoing terrorist threat from groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, who commit human rights abuses in North East Nigeria. The Prime Minister raised security concerns in North East Nigeria and UK support during his meeting with President Buhari at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in January 2020. We will continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of protecting human rights for all.