The radical Muslim sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the blast at Saint Theresa Catholic Church, that is found within the suburb of Madalla. Witnesses say there was tension once the blast, with angry youths putting in burning barricades, and police attempting to disperse them by firing into the air.
The extremist cluster additionally said it absolutely was behind a bomb attack later at an evangelical Christian church within the central town of Jos. it absolutely was unclear if the second blast caused any casualties. an area government official said one police officer was killed, however there have been conflicting reports concerning how he died.
Residents in northeastern Yobe state's city of Gadaka said a blast additionally struck a church there Christmas services. additionally in Yobe state, police within the state capital Damaturu says a automotive exploded. The target of the attack wasn't immediately clear.
A Vatican spokesman on Sunday condemned the attacks as acts of "blind hatred" aimed to additional hatred and confusion.
The West African country has struggled with a wave of violence targeted within the country's north, where security forces are battling with Boko Haram.
The cluster has said it needs to determine an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.
The country of one hundred fifty million is concerning evenly divided between Muslims, who principally live within the north, and Christians who dominate within the south.
Authorities say violence in and round the cities of Maiduguri and Damaturu has killed a minimum of sixty eight individuals over the past few days.
Hundreds of others have died this year in bombings and shootings blamed on Boko Haram.
In Jos, thousands of individuals have died in recurring bouts of Muslim-Christian violence over the past decade. town sits in Nigeria's Middle Belt, where the principally Muslim north meets the mainly Christian south.
