Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL11716):
Lord Alton of Liverpool Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Intersociety 2,200 Nigerian Christians hacked to death in 2020 and 34,400 since 2009, published on 16 December 2020; and what action they have taken (1) to verify the reported figures, or (2) to seek independent verification. (HL11716)
Tabled on: 05 January 2021
This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:
- To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Genocide Watch Nigeria is a Killing Field of Defenseless Christians, published on 13 April 2020, which states that “over 11,500 Christians have been murdered since June 2015”; and what action they have taken (1) to verify the reported figures, or (2) to seek independent verification. (HL11715)
Tabled on: 05 January 2021
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
We are aware of the report from Genocide Watch Nigeria and Intersociety. While we cannot investigate the figures in each individual report, we routinely engage with a range of academics, NGOs, affected communities and other experts, and in particular make use of the data collected by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), to verify the facts on the ground (including shocking reports of killings) and to inform our understanding of developments and trajectories. The Government condemns all violence against civilians in Nigeria, irrespective of their religion.
Date and time of answer: 20 Jan 2021 at 17:37.
Lord Alton of Liverpool – To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about reported killings of Christians in that country; and when any such representations were last made.
[HL11717]
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon – As set out in answer HL9271, the UK Government condemns all violence against civilians in Nigeria. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect those at risk of violence, to bring perpetrators to justice, and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence and meet the needs of all communities. The Minister for Africa has discussed the impact of violence in Nigeria with President Buhari’s Chief of Staff. Our High Commissioner visited Kaduna State in December 2020 and met a range of interlocutors, including Christian and Muslim leaders, who recognised the causes of the intercommunal violence are complex and relate frequently to criminality, competition for resources and failures of governance. We will continue to engage with the federal and state authorities to stress the importance of transparent investigations when attacks occur that respect human rights and the rule of law.
