UK lawmakers write Commonwealth over insecurity in Nigeria

Worried by the rising spate of insurgency and farmer/herder crisis in Nigeria, some members of the House of Lords, the British upper legislative chamber, have petitioned the Commonwealth.

The lawmakers, in a letter dated September 14 and addressed to Patricia Scotland, secretary-general of the Commonwealth, said the failure of the Federal Government to protect Nigerians was a breach of its obligations under the Commonwealth Charter.

The letter was co-signed by 18 lawmakers.

Referencing a report by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, the lawmakers said thousands of civilians have been killed and “elements of the Nigerian government may be complicit in violence.”

They asked that a probe be carried out into the killings and at the least ensure “adequate protection and aid for those suffering the loss of family members and the destruction of their homes and livelihoods.”

The letter read: “We write to highlight urgent concerns about escalating violence in Nigeria, where attacks led by Boko Haram, Fulani herders, and other Islamist militia continue in northern and central-belt states, with reports of increasing violence in the South-East.