Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have been killed in clashes between farmers and nomadic Fulani herders and militants in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria.

The UK Government draws on a range of sources of information to deepen our understanding of conflict in Nigeria. We are aware of attempts by research bodies and international organisations to estimate the number of people killed due to farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria. While exact figures are hard to verify, it is clear that these conflicts continue to have a devastating impact on those affected and on Nigeria's security as a whole. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect all those at risk of violence, bring perpetrators to justice, and address the root causes of the violence. Through our programmes in Nigeria, we are supporting dialogue, mediation and sustainable livelihoods to help address the short and long-term drivers of conflict.