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Boko Haram uses suicide bombs like this one in Kano in February

Children in Nigeria have been used as 鈥渆xpendable human cannon fodder鈥� by Boko Haram, according to the United Nations鈥� human rights chief.

The terrorist group鈥檚 hatred of schools and in particular girls鈥� education has also led to a campaign of attacks and abuse, said听Zeid Ra鈥檃d Al Hussein.听

He added: 鈥淐redible reports indicate that Boko Haram frequently uses children as its first line of attack, as expendable cannon fodder. Bodies of children around 12 years old have been found strewn across such battlefields.

鈥淭he group has also repeatedly used young children as human bombs, including a case of a 14-year-old girl carrying a baby on her back who detonated a bomb in a marketplace. These reports, if confirmed by a court of law, they would certainly constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.鈥�

Mr Zeid spoke out at a special session of the yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland 鈥� the same day that Nigerian president-elect Muhammadu Buhari vowed that Boko Haram would 鈥渟oon know the strength of our collective will鈥�.

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to tackle terrorism

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that since 2009, when Boko Haram 鈥渢urned massively to violence鈥�, that more than 15,000 people had been killed.

Mr Zeid added: 鈥淐ountless more children, women and men have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited, and women and girls have been targeted for particularly horrific abuse, including sexual enslavement. Villages and towns have been looted and destroyed.

鈥淏oko Haram has a specific animus against schools 鈥� particularly the education of girls 鈥� and its attacks have destroyed or severely damaged at least 300 schools, killed numerous students and ended with the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls.

鈥淢y office has also received multiple reports that Boko Haram fighters who were retreating from the advance of the joint forces murdered their so-called wives 鈥� in fact, women and girls held in slavery 鈥� and other captives.鈥�

He said there needed to be a strong, co-ordinated and principled response to the human rights violations. The UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution urging the international community to step up support to those African countries fighting the threat of Boko Haram. 听

Mr Buhari became the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria, beating the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. Yesterday he said:听鈥淲e shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.鈥�