Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Nigerian Government on the violations and abuses of human rights committed by Boko Haram; and what assessment has she made of the effectiveness of the Nigerian government at bringing the perpetrators of these abuses and violations to justice.

Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa have caused immense suffering to local communities in the Lake Chad Basin region. We condemn all incidents of violence against civilians in Nigeria. During my visit to Nigeria in February, I raised rising insecurity and its impact on the Nigerian people with the Vice-President and Foreign Minister. I also discussed insecurity with Nigeria's National Security Advisor during the first dialogue of our Security and Defence Partnership in February. During the dialogue, the UK and Nigerian Governments discussed and reaffirmed our commitment to work together to respond to the shared threat of terrorism, and agreed on the importance of an efficient, fair and effective justice system for victims of conflict. The Nigerian Government committed to take steps to progress cases promptly, including trials of those accused of terrorism offences, to provide justice for victims, and the UK Government offered to share technical advice and experience, in support.

We will continue to urge and support the Nigerian Government to take action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence. We will also continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of protecting civilians and will continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take action to bring perpetrators to justice.