Asked by: Ross Thomson (Conservative - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum's threat to the Igbo population of Nigeria.
Answered by Rory Stewart
My department has received several letters from MP's and members of the public about threats made against the Igbo people in Nigeria.
The Governors of the Northern States of Nigeria condemned these threats, as did Vice President Osinbajo, then Acting President, who also called for unity.
We echo President Buhari's recent call for calm and reconciliation between the many ethnic groups and communities that make up and contribute to the strength and diversity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The British Government is concerned by violence in Nigeria but we do not assess that there is institutionalised persecution of the Igbo or any other peoples by the Nigerian authorities. We will continue to monitor the situation and work with Nigerian Government to help tackle threats to security and to address the underlying causes of instability.