Médecins Sans Frontières has said there are fears that over 170 persons must have died in the attack on the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Rann, Borno State by a jet of the Nigerian Air Force.
However, the MSF said it has only been able to confirm 90 dead.
In a statement on its website, the MSF said the death toll has continued to rise after the “horrific military attack on civilians”.
The organization said the jet dropped two bombs during the attack after it had circled the area twice.
It said aid distribution was taking place when the bombs were dropped, adding that the majority of the victims were women and children.
The statement said outside of what the MSF teams have witnessed, consistent reports from residents and community leaders have it that as many as 170 people were killed.
The Director General of the MSF, Bruno Jochum, said: “This figure needs to be confirmed.
“The victims of this horrifying event deserve a transparent account of what happened and the circumstances in which this attack took place.
“Many of the survivors will need long-term care and support for the future.
“People had sought safety in what they thought was a protected site – instead they were bombed by those who were meant to safeguard them.”
The MSF put the number of those displaced as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State at over three million.
Jochum added: “The population continues to pay the price of a merciless conflict, where the war between Boko Haram and Nigerian military too often disregards the safety of civilians.
“The people of Borno should be entitled to guarantees of protection and assistance. All parties to the conflict must ensure the safety of civilians, and we urge the Government of Nigeria to ensure the protection of its people.”
MSF first started working in Nigeria in 1996 and is one of the few organisations still able to operate in hard-to-reach areas of the country.
