Ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Nigeria, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has advised her to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to speedily tackle the surge of violence in some parts of Nigeria.

The organisation gave the advice in a letter signed by its Africa Director, Daniel Bekele, which was addressed to Mrs. Clinton ahead of her scheduled meeting with Jonathan in Abuja on August 9. The letter was made available to newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday.

“Nigeria is facing a surge of violence and lawlessness that has blighted the lives of thousands of Nigerians.

“Nigeria’s leaders need to confront this violence, whether committed by Boko Haram or the country’s security forces, Mr. Bekele said.

According to him, Mrs. Clinton should also encourage the Nigerian authorities to address corruption, and lack of accountability in the country.

“At their heart, impunity and corruption are human rights problems, and they need to be at the top of Nigeria’s policy agenda.

“Clinton should use her visit to help put them there,” he said.