Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Nigerian Government on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

In response to recent incidents involving the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad (FSARS), our High Commissioner responded publicly to urge police reform and has highlighted our concerns to the Nigerian authorities. We are monitoring the protests in response to these incidents closely. We urge the Nigerian security services to respect Nigerians' right to protest peacefully. The Nigerian police must uphold human rights and the rule of law in all operations, investigate any incidents of police brutality and hold those responsible to account. We welcome the Nigerian Government's swift response to the public outcry, including President Buhari's decision to disband FSARS.

The UK Government is working with the Nigerian Government and international and civil society partners to support broader police reform in Nigeria, building on the Police Establishment Act 2020 which came into force in September. We are developing proposals to support new police regulations to accompany the Act, to create a more accountable and responsive policing model in Nigeria.