Nigeria: Chibok Abductions

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Wednesday 14th May 2014 Lords Chamber

[Noble Lords]

Tebbit!

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford) (Con)]

My Lords, let us hear from the Cross Benches.

[Baroness Cox]

My Lords, is the Minister aware that, while the kidnapping of more than 200 girls at Chibok is unprecedented in scale, the brutal policy of kidnapping girls and subjecting them to forced marriage and/or conversion has been widespread across northern Nigeria’s Sharia states for years, sometimes with the connivance of local authorities? Therefore, while the rescue of these girls must be the urgent priority, will Her Majesty’s Government urge the Government of Nigeria to require all state and local authorities to ensure that this abhorrent practice is no longer tolerated anywhere in Nigeria?

--- Later in debate ---

[Noble Lords]

This side!

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

My Lords, we must hear from the Labour Benches.

[Lord Hughes of Woodside]

My Lords, is the Minister aware that some of us in this House find it equally abhorrent that we should be talking about mediation with extremist groups such as Boko Haram, and that appeasement of such groups does not lead to peace but will encourage them to even greater atrocities?