The United Nations launched an appeal for $174 million in what it called "life-saving aid" for almost 200,000 Nigerians who have fled the country due to brutal attacks by Boko Haram jihadists, the Daily Mail reported on Friday.

The insurgents, who are seeking to create an Islamic state in the country's predominantly Muslim north, have killed up to 15,000 people since 2009, according to the UN.

"Displaced people in north-eastern Nigeria and across borders are in a very dramatic situation," Liz Ahua, west Africa representative for the UNHCR, the organisation's refugee agency, said.

"They continue to fear for their lives, and are at this point unable to return to their homes."
Some 192,000 people have fled over Nigeria's borders into Cameroon, Chad and Niger seeking refuge from relentless violence, according to the UNHCR.