Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in freeing the Nigerian girls abducted by Boko Haram; what information they have about their wellbeing and fate; and what has been done to seek the referral of Boko Haram to the International Criminal Court for committing crimes against humanity.

The UK is supporting the Nigerian authorities in trying to establish the girls’ location through the provision of surveillance assets and intelligence expertise. We do not comment on the results of ongoing intelligence operations.

Nigeria is a State party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC Office of the Prosecutor has opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Nigeria. It has determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed, namely acts of murder and persecution attributed to Boko Haram.

The Prosecutor is assessing the gravity of these crimes and is liaising with the Nigerian authorities on their domestic efforts to hold individuals accountable.