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Written question asked by Ruth Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 22 June 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 June 2021. It was answered by James Duddridge (Conservative) on Tuesday, 29 June 2021 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Nigeria: Violence

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Nigerian President's response to reported recent attacks on offices of the national electoral commission in the southeast of that country.

Answer

We are concerned by increasing insecurity across Nigeria and the impact this is having on local communities. I visited Nigeria in April and discussed increasing insecurity across the country with the President's Chief of Staff, the Foreign Minister and community leaders.

We condemn the recent attacks on the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which threaten the conduct of credible elections and undermine efforts to strengthen Nigeria's democracy. On 19 May, the British High Commissioner publicly expressed our concern about the attacks and called for security forces to protect all election facilities. In recent weeks, our High Commission staff in Abuja have met Independent National Electoral Commission officials to discuss preparations for elections, the security of election facilities and potential support from the international community. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
20612
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Violence Nigeria
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk