UN rights chief slams Nigeria ban on gay marriage The UN rights chief, Navi Pillay, Friday said Nigeria's recent ban on same-sex marriage violated international law and already appeared to have "dangerous side effects". During a press conference in Abuja she also said that Nigerian security forces had committed human rights violations while tackling Boko Haram Islamist insurgents in the north of the country, thus "creating a fertile ground for new recruits". Images and soundbites