Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he will take to support accountability over allegations of (a) the killing of child non-combatants during operations against jihadist armed groups by Nigerian armed forces and (b) coerced abortions by Nigerian armed forces; and whether the Government has supplied (i) training, (ii) equipment and (iii) other forms of support to units of the Nigerian armed forces which have been the subject of recent allegations relating to the killing of child non-combatants.

As I set out in the House on Tuesday 13 December, keeping a close eye on these reports. We have raised the matter with the Nigerian Government and welcome calls from the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff to launch an independent investigation by the National Human Rights Commission.

UK armed forces conduct counter-insurgency training in Nigeria covering a range of matters such as infantry skills, human rights and combatting the threat of improvised explosive devices in order to help Nigeria counter shared threats, such as terrorism and serious organised crime. This has included support to Nigerian military units that are deployed in the North East.