Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the abduction of Christians in Kaduna State, Nigeria on 25 December 2022.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We condemn all violence across Nigeria, including the recent kidnapping in Kaduna state and the murder of Fr. Isaac Achi in Niger state. Events such as these are occurring across Nigeria as conflict and insecurity rises. The Minister of State for Africa & Development recently discussed this challenge with some of Nigeria's leading presidential candidates, and with the Governor of Kaduna. The UK continues to support Nigeria to tackle this issue, and fulfil its constitutional commitment to Freedom of Religion or Belief, by strengthening military capabilities, human rights compliance, policing, and anti-kidnap capacity through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership.
The UK Government continues to raise Mr Bala's case with the Nigerian authorities, most recently with the Kano State Government on 19 January.
Mentions:
1: Lord Oates (LDEM - Life peer) her colleagues were charged with taking part in an illegal protest and later with faking their own abduction - Speech Link
2: Lord Loomba (CB - Life peer) us remember that, in 2021, the British Government expressed concern about democracy in Bangladesh, Nigeria - Speech Link
3: Lord St John of Bletso (CB - Excepted Hereditary) As we are all aware, in 2003 the so-called Commonwealth troika of South Africa, Australia and Nigeria - Speech Link
4: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (CON - Life peer) Lord Oates, we of course remain concerned by the failure of the Government to address allegations of abduction - Speech Link
Dec. 09 2022
Source Page: Human Rights and Democracy Report 2021Found: registry to prevent the illicit flow of more than US$15.7 billion through Nigeria.
Dec. 08 2022
Source Page: Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000, quarterly update to September 2022Found: 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 Bribery Act 2010 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Child Abduction
Dec. 08 2022
Source Page: Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000, quarterly update to September 2022Found: 0 2 Trade Mark Act 1944 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Bribery Act 2010 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Child Abduction
Mentions:
1: Margaret Ferrier (IND - Rutherglen and Hamilton West) in a protest in Harare, and are being prosecuted, unbelievably, for making false reports about their abduction - Speech Link
2: Fiona Bruce (CON - Congleton) He is appealing his criminal case to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. - Speech Link
3: Jim Shannon (DUP - Strangford) For example, there is some land available in Nigeria. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (CON - Life peer) In Nigeria, attacks by terrorists and criminal gangs as well as localised community violence are having - Speech Link
2: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (CON - Life peer) My Lords, we refreshed our security and defence partnership with Nigeria in February this year. - Speech Link
3: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (CON - Life peer) Of course, we continue to condemn Islamic State West Africa Province for that abduction and the ongoing - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Jim Shannon (DUP - Strangford) Christian women and girls explains that in countries impacted by conflict in central and west Africa—Nigeria - Speech Link
2: Leo Docherty (CON - Aldershot) Of course, we are keenly aware of the ravages of Islamic State in Nigeria. - Speech Link
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on taking steps to help tackle (a) violence against and (b) the abduction of Christians in Nigeria in the last 18 months.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
Bishops and officials of the Church of England regularly engage with Ministers and officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on a range of thematic and geographic concerns regarding freedom of religion or belief, which include the human rights situation in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Bishops in the House of Lords regularly raise concerns about the same through questions to Government. Details of these can be seen at:
Nigeria: Nigeria – The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)
Democratic Republic of Congo: The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)
China: China – The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)Most recently on 17th November the Bishop of St Albans led a debate in the House of Lords on allegations of human rights abuses in China.
Found: aged 16 or over - 19G Rape of a male aged under 16 - 19H Rape of a male child under 13 by a male Abduction