Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the UK-Nigeria partnership on (a) strengthening human rights and (b) supporting efforts to (i) uphold security and (ii) prevent violence against Christians in Nigeria.

Insecurity is impacting Nigerian communities of all faiths and undermining freedom of religion or belief, including in predominately Christian areas. I [Andrew Mitchell] raised the effects of rising insecurity on communities with then presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, in December 2022. The UK is funding peacebuilding projects in several Nigerian states which support community reconciliation by training peace ambassadors and faith leaders. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we monitor the progress and effectiveness of our support to Nigeria to tackle insecurity and promote human rights. The UK Government looks forward to continuing this partnership at the next annual dialogue later this year. We will continue to help tackle insecurity and promote human rights, and to encourage the Nigerian Government to assist affected communities and implement long-term solutions.