International pressure is mounting for Nigeria to hand over Charles Taylor, Liberia's former president, to a UN-backed war crimes court in Sierra Leone.

Mr Taylor has been indicted by the special court on 17 counts of war crimes for his role in backing Sierra Leone's rebels who mutilated, burned and raped their victims and forced children to fight during their campaign to take over the diamond-rich country. Tens of thousands of people died during the decade-long civil war.