Explosion Strikes Church Near Nigeria Capital

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Emergency authorities in Nigeria say an explosion has struck near a Catholic church close to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib and a local police spokesman, Richard Oguche, said the blast happened Sunday morning as the church held services marking Christmas.

Authorities could not immediately say how many people were injured.

Nigeria has faced a string of recent bombings and attacks by a radical Muslim sect known as Boko Haram. The sect is responsible for at least 465 killings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count.