Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the Nigerian authorities to (a) investigate and (b) prosecute those responsible for violence against (i) Christian women and girls and (b) members of other religious minority communities.

Since my statement to the House on 27 November 2025 (HWCS1105), we have continued to raise the importance of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) with the Nigerian authorities on a regular basis, as well as the security situation for women and girls at risk of violence and abduction.

The Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, visited Nigeria in May, where he met with Nigerian Government figures including the National Security Advisor and Minister of Information to discuss promoting interreligious dialogue and tackling the causes of insecurity.

In April, the Minister of State for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman, attended the opening of the Nigeria Peace Summit, bringing together senior Muslim and Christian leaders to support Nigerian-led approaches to reducing intercommunal violence.