U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stresses respect for human rights with Nigerian president

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who last week expressed concern about allegations of gross human rights violations by Nigerian forces fighting the Boko Haram Islamist sect, raised the issue with the country's president directly on Saturday, a U.S. official said.

Kerry sat beside Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at an African Union dinner and discussed the matter privately much as he has raised it publicly, defending Nigeria's right "to combat terrorism but (saying) government security forces have to do so smartly (and) respect human rights," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.