Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to identify NGOs who are running effective programmes to deter attacks on (1) farming communities, and (2) religious minorities, in Nigeria; and what plans they have to improve the ability of these NGOs to scale up their programmes.

We are deeply concerned by the intercommunal violence in Nigeria and the devastating impact which this has had on affected communities, including heavy loss of life. We continue to call for a solution that meets the needs of all the communities affected. DFID is designing a programme to address natural resource conflicts between farmers and herders, which may include support to non-governmental organisations.

Staff from the British High Commission in Abuja are actively engaged on the ground. The British High Commissioner to Nigeria along with staff visited Plateau State in December 2019 to discuss the situation with the Governor and Christian and Muslim faith leaders. They also met NGOs working on reconciliation to discuss the situation and efforts to address it.