The Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned an attack in Nigeria that left at least 110 people dead.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said the attack on farmers on Sunday, believed to have been carried out by Boko Haram militants, was "an act of pure evil". 

It happened in the village of Koshobe in Borno State and other rural communities near Maiduguri as farmers harvested rice crops. 

"The massacre of rice farmers in Borno State was an act of pure evil. May God be with those who are traumatised and bereaved," the Archbishop said.

"I pray fervently for justice, peace and security in Nigeria."

The attack has been condemned by the United Nations. 

"Armed men on motorcycles led a brutal attack on civilian men and women who were harvesting their fields," Edward Kallon, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, said in the statement.

"Tens of civilians were ruthlessly killed and many others were wounded in this attack," he added.

"The incident is the most violent direct attack against innocent civilians this year. I call for the perpetrators of this heinous and senseless act to be brought to justice,"

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been criticised for failing to put a stop to years of violence in Nigeria's middle and northern regions, called the killings "senseless".