The casualty figure of farmers killed in Borno state which was released by the United Nations (UN) has been retracted by the international action.
Recall that suspected Boko Haram members on Saturday attacked Zabarmari community in Jere local government area of the state and killed farmers.
The Governor of Borno state, Babagana Zulum had stated that more than 40 residents were killed while they were working on their farmlands.
Reacting to the tragic development, the UN released a statement on Sunday in which the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria claimed that at least 110 people were killed in the attack.
The UN statement went viral and was published by major newspapers in the country.
In a statement on Monday, the UN clarified its earlier position, saying the figure was not yet confirmed.
Eve Sabbagh, UN’s head of public information in Nigeria, said the “110 casualty figure” was not properly sourced.
The UN had also published another statement, replacing the figure with “tens of civilians”, while other parts of the piece remains the same.
“Please note the number of 110 civilians killed on Saturday’s attack is an unconfirmed number and the correct version of the statement by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator is the one published yesterday on Reliefweb and used on OCHA Nigeria’s Twitter account,” Sabbagh said.
