Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they are assisting Nigeria to address systemic violations of freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression such as the marginalisation of minority faith communities and the criminalisation of blasphemy.

The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to address security challenges including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). The UK is providing £38 million in programming to support locally led solutions in Northern Nigeria tackle the root causes of this violence. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we also engage with Nigerian security actors to address these complex issues. The UK Government also funds the provision of legal and judicial expertise to make legislative changes to protect FoRB, including addressing blasphemy laws. The right of individuals to express their beliefs or non-belief is essential to a free and open society. Our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, will remain an important part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria.