Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to support the Nigerian government in tackling acts of terrorism by Boko Haram.

The UK, along with other international partners, is providing military, intelligence and development support to Nigeria to assist its efforts to tackle the terrorist activities of Boko Haram and to address the root causes of instability. The substantial package of UK assistance includes training and advice to Nigerian units deploying against Boko Haram; support to the Nigerians in bringing increased development and prosperity to the North East; and a commitment to draw 1 million more children into education in Northern Nigeria by 2020. One of Boko Haram's strategies has been to deny Nigeria's children access to opportunity and exposure to perspectives outside their narrow and barbaric ideology. On 3 September, while leading the UK delegation at a conference on Boko Haram in Abuja with regional foreign ministers, I stressed the importance of regional and international cooperation to help Nigeria end the threat from Boko Haram.