Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of continuing violence in Kajuru in southern Kaduna, Nigeria between the beginning of a covid-19 lockdown on 25 March 2020 and the morning of 12 May 2020.

We condemn all incidents of intercommunal violence in Nigeria, including recently reported attacks in Kaduna State. Officials from the British High Commission in Abuja are in contact with and have visited communities in Kaduna that have experienced violence and conflict. We continue to encourage the Government of Nigeria to take urgent action to protect those at risk of intercommunal violence, to bring perpetrators to justice and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes and meet the needs of all communities.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Wilton Park hosted a conference on 'Fostering Social Cohesion in Nigeria' in February, which brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from Kaduna State. The conference was an opportunity to discuss how government, faith-based and community organisations can build solutions to intercommunal violence in Nigeria.

The UK Government is supporting local efforts to build solutions to intercommunal violence in Nigeria. As competition over land and resources is leading to violence, our response has included the provision of technical support to the Nigerian Government for the development of the National Livestock Transformation Plan, for which Kaduna State is a pilot state, to promote ranching, an economically viable livestock sector, new jobs and address conflict.

The Prime Minister discussed insecurity in Nigeria with President Buhari at the UK Africa Investment Summit in January. We have made clear to the Nigerian authorities, at the highest levels, the importance of protecting civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, and human rights for all Nigerians.