Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent examples they have of how the UK has supported Nigeria in accordance with the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership in protecting Christian victims of religious violence in the region and promoting peace.

Ongoing security challenges in Nigeria, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, continue to have a devastating effect across communities of different faiths and ethnicities, including Christians. The UK remains committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), with Nigeria a focus country under the new FoRB strategy.

Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are supporting Nigeria to respond to these challenges while upholding human rights, including through training and capacity building for the Nigerian armed forces. At the Third UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership dialogue in July 2025, the UK and Nigeria agreed a support programme to enhance the capacity of Nigeria's National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and other agencies, which will enhance Nigeria's ability to investigate violence and disrupt the financing of terrorist groups. The UK has also renewed its commitment to support Nigeria's Armed Forces in the development of the Defence Special Operations Force, which will help Nigeria to develop a professional, well-coordinated special operations capability to respond to security threats while protecting civilians and promoting stability.