The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Iyad Ameen Madani, has strongly condemned the horrific carnage in Baga that claimed, according to estimates, the lives of about 2000 innocent people, mostly women and children, and the suicide bombing of a ten-year-old girl that killed dozens in Maiduguri, northeastern part of Nigeria. The killings in Baga which spanned for three days, from 7th to 9th January 2015, and the bomb explosion on Friday 9th January 2015 were all carried out by people suspected to be members of Boko Haram. The Secretary General added that the leaders of the insurgents and their followers who perpetrate killing and destruction of properties should be aware that their activities have no place in Islam. He called on them to end these heinous acts which are indeed crimes against humanity. The Secretary General urged the authorities to step up their efforts in the fight against terrorism in the country, especially in the northeastern Nigeria. The Secretary General commiserated with families and friends of the victims of the violence and offered condolences to the people and the government of Nigeria.
