Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the abduction of 110 schoolgirls from a school in the town of Dapchi, Nigeria by Boko Haram last month and the recent return of around 100 of those schoolgirls; and whether they plan to provide any assistance to the government of Nigeria to prevent similar incidents in the future.

We welcome the news that some of the Dapchi girls have been released and offer our condolences to the families of those reported to have died.

Attacks on schools and abductions of children are abhorrent and must stop.

The UK provides a substantial and increasing package of intelligence, military and development support to help Nigeria fight terrorism. This includes training and advice for Nigerian armed forces deploying against Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa and £5 million to support the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).