Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Government of Nigeria on the Zaria massacre and other human rights abuses; and whether the Government intends to make further representations to that Government on the protection of human rights and the right to peaceful protest.

We have raised our concerns about the incident at Zaria with the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels. The previous Minister for Africa raised the issue with the Governor of Kaduna during his visit to Nigeria in July 2017. We continue to call on the Federal government to respond to the recommendations made by the Commission for Judicial Inquiry, and ensure accountability on all sides.

We welcome President Buhari's commitment to improve the human rights situation in Nigeria, but more needs to be done. We will continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of upholding human rights standards for all, including the right to peaceful protest.