Nigeria: Violence

(asked on 28th October 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of attacks carried out by Nigerian security forces on protestors in Nigeria; and what assistance they are providing to programmes in that country that aim to strengthen the freedom of expression and the rule of law.


Answered by
Baroness Sugg Portrait
Baroness Sugg
This question was answered on 9th November 2020

The UK Government is deeply concerned by violence during protests in Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria, which has tragically claimed lives. Our thoughts are with the families of all those affected. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 21 October calling for the Nigerian Government to urgently investigate reports of brutality by its security forces and hold those responsible to account. The Minister for Africa repeated this message to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 23 October. We welcome President Buhari's decision to disband the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and the establishment of judicial panels of inquiry to investigate allegations of brutality by the security services. It is vital these panels receive full police and military cooperation. They must investigate all incidents, including in Lagos, properly.

The UK Government has supported police reform in Nigeria. We will continue to work with the Nigerian Government and international and civil society partners to improve the accountability and responsiveness of the Nigerian Police Force in line with its human rights obligations. The Nigerian authorities must uphold human rights and the rule of law, investigate any incidents of police brutality and hold those responsible to account. Through our CSSF-funded Nigeria Policing Programme, which ended in March 2020, FSARS officers participated in training on amended Nigerian police guidance designed to improve human rights, training on public finance, and community policing workshops. The Nigeria Policing Programme was part of our Security and Justice Reform Programme, which is working to help deliver a criminal justice system that better protects the human rights of all Nigerians.

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