Amnesty International says ordinary Irish people can help defeat the terror group Boko Haram.

The Islamic extremists are thought to have recently murdered 2,000 people in one of their bloodiest massacres yet in the Nigerian town of Baga.

The aid agency says hundreds of bodies remain strewn in the bush.

The victims are believed to be mostly children and elderly people who could not escape gunfire and grenade attacks.

Local security forces have responded by carrying out airstrikes against militant targets in the region.

It is also reported that a 10-year-old girl with a bomb strapped to her killed 19 people and injured several more in north-eastern Nigeria.

The explosion happened in a market in the city of Maiduguri, in Borno state.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but correspondents say all signs point to Boko Haram.

Amnesty says Nigeria is not doing enough to catch those responsible for the recent attacks - and claims private citizens in this country can put pressure on them to do more.

"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," said Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty International.

"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," he added.

Boko Haram militants reportedly attacked Baga and surrounding towns on Saturday January 3rd.

Since 2009, Amnesty says Boko Haram has deliberately targeted civilians through raids and bomb attacks with attacks increasing in frequency and severity.

Evidence gathered by Amnesty indicates that Boko Haram have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It is calling on the Nigerian government to investigate these abuses and ensure that those guilty of committing them are brought to justice.

Colm O'Gorman is executive director of Amnesty International Ireland. He says more needs to be done.

Originally posted at 9.43am