Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2023 to Question 108129 on Nigeria: Armed Forces, what recent assessment he has made of the progress made by the Nigerian authorities to hold independent investigations into allegations of coerced abortions and child killings by Nigerian armed forces.

We welcome the ongoing investigation into these allegations by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and continue to monitor its progress closely. FCDO officials met with the NHRC and the inquiry's lead investigator in April 2023. The commission continues to take testimonies and we have urged the NHRC to publish the report when it is complete. All of our engagement with the Nigerian Armed Forces continues to be underpinned by the promotion of human rights, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.