Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the escalation of violence in Nigeria, and (2) the risk of local vigilante armies emerging, as a result of (a) inaction by the government of Nigeria, and (b) reports of Nigerian military collusion in attacks.

The Government is concerned by increasing insecurity in Nigeria, including the rise in both criminal violence and intercommunal violence. We are also concerned by increasing vigilantism in response. We condemn all violence against civilians in Nigeria. We continue to promote intercommunal and interfaith dialogue. Our High Commissioner and her team regularly visit states affected by violence to engage with state governments, civil society, faith and community leaders and affected communities. Most recently, British High Commission officials visited Plateau state in October 2021, where they met with a range of interlocutors, including Christian and Muslim leaders, who recognised the causes of the intercommunal violence are complex and relate frequently to criminality, competition for resources and failures of governance.

On 1 November the Minister for Africa raised insecurity in Nigeria with Foreign Minister Onyeama in the margins of the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The Prime Minister also discussed insecurity with President Buhari in the margins of the Global Education Summit in July. We will continue to urge and support the Nigerian Government to take action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence.