Nigeria Freedom of Religion or Belief 2026-01-13

Opened the debate

It is a great pleasure to lead this debate on Government support for freedom of religion or belief in Nigeria; I hope that we have some good debate. Recent events have thrown a spotlight on Nigeria in general, and on freedom of religion or belief in particular... One fact should make the scale of the challenge clear: more Christians are killed each year in Nigeria for being Christians than in all other countries combined... Meanwhile, some federal state legal systems have been manipulated by some politicians and other public officials in order to impose so-called blasphemy and apostasy offences, despite section 38 of the Nigerian federal constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion and of conscience... Moderate Muslims, atheists, humanists and practitioners of traditional religions are all suffering in Nigeria for what they believe. The FORB crisis is partly about violence, but it is also about legal suppression of freedoms at the state level.

Government Response

The minister's response is not provided in the given transcript. The debate ends with lead MP David Smith discussing interventions and legal suppression of freedoms without a concluded ministerial reply. Acknowledges the issue's importance, declares interest as a Christian activist, and notes Nigeria’s constitutional promise of religious freedom. Reports shocking statistics on Christian persecution in Nigeria from Open Doors World Watch List. Emphasises the Government’s targeted action strategy for Nigeria, welcoming President Buhari’s commitment to religious freedoms. Engages closely with Nigerian authorities, communities, and faith leaders through Baroness Chapman. Raises issues at high levels, including discussions with Foreign Minister Tuggar and engagement in international bodies like UN, G7, and Human Rights Council. I absolutely can. I mentioned a range of different levels at which we do that—indeed, the Minister for Africa has raised a number of these issues at the highest level—and we continue to engage. The high commissioner and the team do an excellent job of engaging at all levels to raise these cases. That is why we have this dialogue, the SPRiNG programme and the investment that we are making across a range of areas with the Nigerian authorities, who are close partners in many respects and on many issues not just in Nigeria, but more broadly. We agreed to strengthen our co-operation and provide practical support to defend against these threats. That includes very practical steps such as sharing operational lessons to counter new tactics being used by terrorists, including the use of drones and improvised explosive devices, which have tragically been used against civilians in too many locations. The UK is trying to address the wider issues of poverty and humanitarian concerns. We support hundreds of thousands of people through our humanitarian assistance and resilience programme. I assure you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as well as the special envoy that we will keep working with the Nigerian authorities and faith leaders to address the shocking violence against people who are simply trying to follow their faith or belief. I particularly welcome the concerns raised about Christian communities, but this issue affects many. We will work at every level to ensure that this violence is brought to an end, and we will also work globally on these issues. I really praise the special envoy for the work that he does on these important issues.