A militant Islamic group, Boko Haram said it was behind Sunday’s explosions in Nigeria that left almost 30 people dead, Nigeria’s The Daily Trust reported.
A series of attacks ripped through Nigeria on Sunday as hundreds of worshipers were attending Christmas masses.
The first blast that hit St. Theresa Church in Madalla, a town in Niger state near the capital Abuja, left at least 27 people dead, authorities said. The second explosion struck a church in the central Nigerian town of Jos, reportedly killing a policeman. The third blast ripped through Gadaka in northeast as vehicles with worshipers heading for a Christmas service were set ablaze while people were in the church. No casualties have been reported in Gadaka, The Daily Trust said.
Boko Haram's spokesman, Abul Qaqa told The Daily Trust that it was his militant group that had organized the attacks. He said that new blasts would further hit the country’s north.
Soon after Qaqa’s statement, the paper reported about the new blast that hit the town of Damaturu in northern Yobe state. The blast was reported to target Damaturu’s Security Chief.
“Witnesses say a suicide bomber acting on intelligence had trailed the Head of Operations of the Joint Task Force in Damaturu who wanted to take away some vital exhibits retrieved from some Boko Haram suspects,” the paper reported.
There have been no official casualty reports of Damaturu’s attack.
The explosions come amid numerous recent attacks by Boko Haram, which has been seeking to impose Sharia law across Nigeria with its predominantly Christian south and largely Muslim north.
In late August the militants carried out a suicide attack on the United Nations headquarters in Nigerian capital of Abuja, killing almost 20 people.
