Abuja:
Nigerian troops sent to keep peace in the country's troubled northern city of Jos have been accused of carrying out rape and killing of women, but the military has dismissed the allegations.
Dr Funmi Para-Mallam, the coordinator of Plateau States chapter of Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society (CWEENS), said young vulnerable women were being sexually exploited by the soldiers of the Military Special Task Force (STF).
"They use them as prostitutes in the slum areas of Jos city, where several girls have been made pregnant and abandoned and some even killed, without the perpetrators being apprehended or prosecuted," she alleged.
CWEENS claims that in the month of May alone 16 decomposed women bodies were found in Bukuru, the local government area in Jos.
However, the military dismissed the allegation as unfounded, saying "in the military rape and looting are serious offences that are not taken lightly".
The Director of Operations of the STF, Colonel Kayode Ogundele, expressed serious displeasure over the womens' allegations, describing it a dent on the image of the military both within and outside the country. He challenged the women to come up with a proof.
Jos, a town in north central Nigeria has become very volatile in recent times leading to the death of hundreds of people.
In March, over 200 people, mostly Christians were killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in a village near the city.
Control of farmland and the claim of indigenous to right of ownership of properties have contributed the volatile nature of the region.
The indigenous Berom people claim the Fulani settlers where trying to take control of farmlands and even the administration of the region.
The country's President Goodluck Jonathan has said settling dispute in the region will be one of his major priorities.
However, analysts say politicians who may want to upstage him if he wishes to contest for elections as President in 2011 polls, may decide to continue inciting violence in the region.