Amnesty highlights sex-for-food claims in Boko Haram-hit Nigeria

Amnesty International on Thursday urged Nigeria to act on claims soldiers and members of the civilian militia have raped women and girls in remote camps for people displaced by Boko Haram but the government said the rights monitor was repeating false accusations.

"This... is just a wild goose chase report, in essence... the report seemed like the one in 2015, and the one in 2016, and the one after that year, the same things being recycled again and again," presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said, reports AFP.

Amnesty said it had gathered multiple testimonies about alleged abuse by the security forces, including claimed that soldiers coerced vulnerable survivors into having sex in exchange for food.

But despite long-standing complaints about sexual violence and repeated promises by the Nigerian authorities that they would address concerns, "no tangible action" had been taken.

In November 2016, police vowed to look into allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in the camps but several months later, the military rejected the allegations."It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out and no reports have been made public," the London-based rights group said in a statement.

Amnesty's Nigeria director, Osai Ojigho, said it was time for President Muhammadu Buhari "to demonstrate his frequently-expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in northeast Nigeria.

"The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no-one can get away with rape or murder."

Women and girls, many of whom have been separated from their families, are vulnerable to sexual abuse and say rape is widespread both in and outside the camps, according to aid agencies.

Some non-profit organisations run family planning clinics, providing contraception, and say there are high numbers of sexually transmitted infections, abortions and unwanted pregnancies.