Amnesty International says at
least 60 persons were killed in the recent Boko attack in Rann, a border town
in Borno state.
In a statement on Friday, the
organisation said it gathered from satellite images that “hundreds of
structures” were burnt down during the attack which occurred in January.
Many internally displaced persons
(IDPs) fled to Cameroon during the attack.
Amnesty quoted witnesses as
saying soldiers “abandoned their posts the day before the attack, demonstrating
the authorities’ utter failure to protect civilians.”
“We have now confirmed that this
week’s attack on Rann was the deadliest yet by Boko Haram, killing at least 60
people,” Osai Ojigho, the organisation’s director in Nigeria said in the
statement.
“Using satellite imagery we have
also been able to confirm the mass burning of structures as Boko Haram
unleashed a massive assault on Rann, most of which is now destroyed.
“This attack on civilians who
have already been displaced by the bloody conflict may amount to possible war
crime, and those responsible must be brought to justice.
“The authorities on both sides of
the border must provide the supplies and safety that these people require. The
Cameroonian authorities must also desist from forcing people to return until
conditions are safe and they choose to do so voluntarily.”
TheCable reached out to Sani
Usman, to react to Amnesty’s claims, but he did not pick his calls and is yet
respond to a text message.
sai baba
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