The authorities in Nigeria have publicly burnt six tonnes of confiscated drugs in a huge bonfire on the outskirts of Lagos.

Diplomats, government officials and journalists were invited to watch.

The BBC correspondent in Lagos says the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency is determined to send a message that the country is winning the war against drugs.

But he says agencies involved in fighting the international drugs trade still regard Nigeria as an important transit route, and the United States has enforced sanctions for what it says is the failure of the Nigerian authorities to take adequate measures to combat the trade.