Nigerian who survived Boko Haram attacks, Speak Out

Nigerian who survived Boko Haram attacks, Speak Out
Residents who fled village largely burned to the ground say Boko Haram fighters chased them through the bush.

Survivors have recalled how they escaped from Boko Haram fighters in the aftermath of last week's devastating attacks on two Nigerian towns.

The witnesses' accounts came to light on Thursday after Amnesty International released satellite images showing what it says is "indisputable and shocking evidence" of the scale of the attacks.

Before and after images of two neighbouring towns, Baga and Doro Gowon in northeast Nigeria taken on January 2 and 7, show the effect of the attacks which left more than 3,700 structures damaged or completely destroyed.

Alaji Bukar, a young boy who fled Baga to Maiduguri, more than 150km south, told Al Jazeera that fighters caught families as they tried to escape.

"They separated the children from the adults who were asked to lie down. They were shot dead," he said.

"We were taken back to their camp. We escaped when they were busy burning homes."

Another survivor, Muhammad Umar, said Boko Haram fighters chased him for more than a week before he made it to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. 

"They followed us on motorcycles and trucks. They shot and hacked at us. We were trampling on dead bodies as we ran in the bush," he told Al Jazeera.

"We kept on for two days before we reached the main road and five to reach safety. We've lost more than 1,000 people. The whole town is burned down as far as I see."