Lagos - Amnesty International on Wednesday claimed that Nigeria's military top brass were warned of brutal Boko Haram attacks on the northeast towns of Baga and Monguno but failed take action.

The 3 January onslaught against Baga is feared to have killed hundreds, if not more, and destroyed thousands of homes, while the takeover of Monguno last weekend was seen as a major setback for the security forces.

Amnesty said it received information from senior military officers and other sources indicating that defence officials were told about Boko Haram's plans to attack both towns but did not act on requests to send reinforcements.

"It is clear from this evidence that Nigeria's military leadership woefully and repeatedly failed in their duty to protect civilians of Baga and Monguno despite repeated warnings about an impending threat posed by Boko Haram," said Amnesty's Africa director Netsanet Belay.