Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Nigerian counterpart on the persecution of Christians in that country.

The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all communities in Nigeria. In July 2022, at the UK's Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the Nigerian High Commissioner reiterated his Government's commitment to freedom of religion or belief. I have raised concerns about the effect of insecurity on communities in my engagements with leading Nigerian presidential candidates in December 2022 and January 2023. We will continue to call on the Nigerian Government to assist affected communities and implement long-term solutions.