Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information the Government holds on recent reports of ethnic cleansing in areas of Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Nigeria closely and are concerned by reports of recent clashes in Adamawa State. We do not assess that there is institutionalised persecution of any ethnic groups by the Nigerian authorities, but continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities the importance of transparent investigations of human rights violations, accountability at all levels, and the protection of civilians in conflict areas and in places of detention.