The estimated number of people who were killed in the deadly attack launched by the Boko Haram militants in the Nigerian town of Baga in the previous week was said to reach no more than 150 as opposed to the earlier reports from local officials that claimed that nearly 2,000 people perished from the assault, according to an article published in BBC News.
In addition, the defense ministry disclosed that the total number revealed already comprised "many of the terrorists" who launched the assault on the area located in the Borno state. The army was also reported to be initiating and enforcing "necessary actions" to reinstate peace and order in the town.
An expert spokesperson from Amnesty International, Nigeria researcher Daniel Eyre, recently commented on the issue, which was included in the official statement of the organization following the news of one of the most gruesome massacres in history.
"The attack on Baga and surrounding towns, looks as if it could be Boko Haram's deadliest act in a catalogue of increasingly heinous attacks carried out by the group. If reports that the town was largely razed to the ground and that hundreds or even as many as two thousand civilians were killed are true, this marks a disturbing and bloody escalation of Boko Haram's ongoing onslaught against the civilian population.
We are currently working to find out more details of what happened during the attack on Baga and the surrounding area. This attack reiterates the urgent need for Boko Haram to stop the senseless killing of civilians and for the Nigerian government to take measures to protect a population who live in constant fear of such attacks."
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon shared in an earlier statement that he is "appalled about reports of hundreds of civilians killed around the town of Baga, Borno state, near Nigeria's border with Chad in the past week."
Apart from stating that finding a resolution for this situation is one of the top priorities of the organization, Ban denounced the militants and condemned the "depraved act at the hands of Boko Haram terrorists."
For his part, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake stated that "words alone can neither express our outrage nor ease the agony of all those suffering from the constant violence in northern Nigeria." Moreover, he urged officials and the public that the "images of recent days and all they imply for the future of Nigeria should galvanize effective action."
