Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to make representations to the Nigerian Government on withdrawing the eviction notices served on the Igbo people.

We welcome the swift and widespread condemnation by the Nigerian Government of calls for Igbo residents to be evicted from parts of Northern Nigeria. We welcome in particular the swift condemnation by the Governors of the Northern states and then Acting President Osinbajo. During my visit to Nigeria in June I discussed community tensions in Nigeria with the Governor of Kaduna. 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.

I welcome the fact that the Northern Nigerian Youth Groups have subsequently rescinded their call for Igbos to be evicted. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and will work with the Nigerian Government to help tackle threats to Nigeria's security and address the underlying causes of instability.