LAGOS, June 5 (Reuters) - Nigeria's naira extended losses against the U.S. dollar on the interbank market on Tuesday, weakening to a 5-1/2 month low as foreign investors continued to pull out of government bonds.

The local unit traded at 162.56 naira to the dollar on Tuesday, after it touched an intra-day low of 162.75 naira. It closed 161.25 naira against the dollar the previous day.

The naira has been falling in recent weeks, despite interventions by the central bank meant to stabalise it, as dollar demand mounts from fuel importers and foreign investors selling off bonds and repatriating their returns.

"Yesterday, international banks were selling bond positions for their clients and buying dollars," one dealer told Reuters, adding that the trend had continued on Tuesday.

The central bank has directly sold dollars on the interbank market since last week, outside its bi-weekly foreign exchange auction, to calm the market, but it has so far managed to stem its decline, and it has made no interventions yet this week.

Dealers had expected central bank to intervene directly at the interbank on Monday to support the naira. Instead, the bank simply auctioned $300 million at 155.80 naira at its regular bi-weekly official window. It was not enough to lift the naira.

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