Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in Nigeria on the training of Nigerian security forces to help (a) reduce and (b) prevent anti-Christian violence.

Rising insecurity in Nigeria has affected communities of all faiths, including Christians. UK Government officials and I regularly raise freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including the impact of insecurity on communities and the need to bring perpetrators to justice, with the Nigerian Government. In February, I met the Nigerian Minister of State for Police Affairs, where I emphasised the UK's commitment to helping Nigeria tackle the root causes of conflict and instability. During the UK/ Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership dialogue in February, we agreed to enhance the existing cooperation in a number of areas, including training of security forces and conflict management.