Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Nigerian counterpart on the abduction and imprisonment of Leah Sharibu by Boko Haram; and what response he has received to those representations.

The UK has repeatedly called for the release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), including Leah Sharibu. 19th February marked the second anniversary of her abduction. At the time of the Dapchi abductions, the then Foreign Secretary spoke to the Nigerian Vice President to offer UK assistance in the search for the schoolchildren, but none was requested. We continue to use our public messaging and extensive engagement with the Government of Nigeria to push for urgent action to secure the release of all abductees.