Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the kidnappings of schoolchildren in Nigeria.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The UK Government is monitoring the recent kidnappings of schoolchildren in Nigeria and condemns this crime. At the latest UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) dialogue in February, we strengthened our commitment to providing mentoring and capacity-building support to agencies tackling the threat of kidnap within Nigeria. As part of this partnership, the UK National Crime Agency is working with Nigeria to create a Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell to increase interoperability between security and justice agencies responding to kidnaps. This will help reduce harm to victims and hold those responsible to account.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that rates of kidnappings for ransom have increased in central Nigeria.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government condemns the abduction and captivity of all persons for ransom. We are aware of a rise in kidnappings in central Nigeria. It is difficult to provide a definitive figure because of differing recording practices across agencies and because not all kidnaps are reported to the Nigerian authorities. At the latest UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) dialogue in February, we strengthened our commitment to providing mentoring and capacity-building support to the agencies with a mandate to tackle the threat of kidnap. This will help reduce harm to victims and hold those responsible to account.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of British citizens that have been kidnapped in Nigeria in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We are aware of low numbers of British nationals kidnapped in Nigeria over the past five years. It is difficult to provide a definitive figure because of differing recording practices across agencies and because not all kidnaps are reported to the Nigerian authorities or to the FCDO. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are providing mentoring and capacity-building support to Nigerian Police Force units to improve their anti-kidnap capacity, help reduce harm to victims, and hold those responsible to account.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) whereabouts and (b) wellbeing of the Nigerian women and girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from Chibok in 2014.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The UK Government condemns the abduction and continued captivity of children by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) in North East Nigeria. This includes the 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls, around 100 of whom are understood still to be missing. I [Andrew Mitchell] raised this case specifically with incoming Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, in December 2022. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we have also provided mentoring and capacity building for the Nigerian Police Force to improve their response to kidnappings. We remain committed to supporting the Nigerian Government to secure the release of all those held captive.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Nigeria on the kidnapping of Christians in Kaduna State.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Nigeria has experienced an increase in conflict since 2019. I [Minister Mitchell] discussed this challenge with Nigeria's leading presidential candidates in December and January. This included a discussion about insecurity with the now president-elect, who was joined by the incumbent Governor of Kaduna. To address kidnappings and their impact on Nigeria's ability to fulfil its constitutional commitment to Freedom of Religion or Belief, our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership includes training to develop the Nigerian police and military forces' anti-kidnap capacity. We will continue to work with the Nigerian government and local partners to address the root causes and impacts of violence against civilians, including kidnappings in Kaduna State.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the number of kidnappings for ransom that have occurred in Nigeria in the last two years.

Answered by Vicky Ford

A reliable estimate of the number of kidnaps for ransom in Nigeria in the last two years is hard to calculate, because of the number of agencies involved in kidnap response and recording. However, we are aware that several thousand kidnap for ransom cases are reported each year.

Through our Security and Defence Partnership, the UK is helping Nigeria build its capacity to respond to kidnaps. We are providing mentoring and capacity-building support to Nigerian Police Force units to improve their anti-kidnap capacity, to help reduce harm to victims, and to hold those responsible to account.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the response by (1) state, and (2) federal authorities, in Nigeria to attacks on Adara communities in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state, following reports of abductions and murders in that area.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

We are aware of the attacks in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state. Increasing insecurity across Nigeria is having a devastating impact on affected communities. The Government condemns all incidents of violence in Nigeria. We are in regular contact with the Kaduna State Government on instances of conflict and insecurity in the State and we are providing mentoring and capacity-building support to Nigerian Police Force units to improve their anti-kidnap capacity, to help reduce harm to victims, and to hold those responsible to account. We also continue to support initiatives which promote dialogue and mediation between communities in Kaduna, in partnership with the State Government.

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, and we committed to work together to respond to rising insecurity in Nigeria at our Security and Defence Dialogue in February.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made representations to the Government of Nigeria regarding those abducted from train AK9 on 28 March 2022, some of whom have relatives in the UK.

Answered by Vicky Ford

I expressed my public condemnation following the tragic Abuja-Kaduna train attack, and expressed my condolences to Foreign Minister Onyeama.

Officials from the British High Commission in Nigeria have raised the attack with representatives from the Kaduna State Government. The UK Government is committed to working with Nigeria to tackle insecurity, and we have provided support to the Nigerian police to improve their anti-kidnap capacity. I discussed rising insecurity in Nigeria with the Vice President and with the Foreign Minister when I visited Nigeria in February; and with Nigeria's National Security Advisor during the first dialogue of our Security and Defence Partnership in February in London. At the dialogue, the UK and Nigeria committed to further our cooperation on preventing kidnaps in Nigeria.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Nigeria regarding the student abducted from Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna state in July 2021.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

The UK Government condemns all attacks on schools; abductions of children are abhorrent and must stop. We continue to raise attacks on schools with the Government of Nigeria, and the Government of Nigeria has provided assurances that it is making every effort to secure the release of all those still held captive.

The UK is working with Nigeria through our security and defence partnership to help build capacity to respond to kidnaps. We have provided mentoring and capacity-building support to Nigerian Police Force units to improve their anti-kidnap capacity, to help reduce harm to victims, and to hold those responsible to account. During her recent visit to Nigeria, the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean raised rising insecurity and its impact on the Nigerian people in meetings with the Vice President and Foreign Minister, and reiterated the UK's commitment to work with Nigeria to address violence, protect human rights, and promote dialogue and respect between different ethnic and religious communities. The Minister hosted a roundtable on conflict and intercommunal violence in Northern Nigeria, which included officials from the Kaduna State Peace Commission, and the discussion covered topics including rising insecurity and kidnaps in Nigeria.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support their Nigerian counterparts in locating and rescuing (a) Leah Sharibu and (b) other abducted girls in Nigeria.

Answered by Vicky Ford

We are deeply concerned by the abduction and continued captivity of children by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) in North East Nigeria. Leah Sharibu, who was abducted by ISWA in 2018, and a number of the Chibok schoolgirls, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, are among those still missing. We continue to raise these cases with the Government of Nigeria, most recently in June. The Nigerian Government has provided assurances it is doing all it can to secure the release of all those kidnapped.

We have provided mentoring and capacity building support to Nigerian Police Force units to improve their anti-kidnap capacity, to help reduce harm to victims and to hold those responsible to account. We are also providing a comprehensive package of support to Nigeria to help tackle the terrorist threat in the North East. My [Minister Ford] predecessor visited Nigeria in April where he discussed insecurity, including kidnaps, with the Foreign Minister and the President's Chief of Staff, and raised the importance of protecting all communities. He also discussed the impact insecurity has on education with the Nigerian Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Education in July in the margins of the Global Education Summit.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Nigerian counterpart on the kidnappings of students from Christian Schools and health centres in Kaduna State during 2021.

Answered by James Duddridge

The UK Government condemns recent abductions and killings of students, healthcare workers and civilians in Nigeria's northern states, including Kaduna State, and calls for the release of those still held captive. Both Christian and Muslim communities have been affected.

We regularly raise concerns over insecurity, including kidnaps, with the Nigerian Government. For example, I [Minister Duddridge] discussed the impact insecurity has on education with the Nigerian Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Education in July in the margins of the Global Education Summit.

Found: Nigeria: Abduction 23 Mar 2023 | 166230 Asked by: Jim Shannon To ask the Secretary of State