The Government there has long been accused of complicity in the persecution by tacitly consenting to a campaign of ‘Islamisation’ and turning a blind eye to acts of terrorism. Many Christians have been killed by Islamists in Nigeria.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will visit the King and Queen on Wednesday and Downing Street on Thursday.

Parliament’s all-party group for international freedom of religion has written to the Government to put pressure on Mr Tinubu to uphold human rights in his country.

The group’s chairman, DUP MP Jim Shannon, said Nigeria needed to “take concrete steps to prevent the harassment, persecution and killing of Christians, while ensuring that perpetrators are investigated and prosecuted”.

The African nation is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians, with Islamist terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, targeting Christians and their properties.