TheCable

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.