Iman Chairman condemns Nigeria Christmas day bomb attacks

Islamist militants set off bombs across Nigeria on Christmas Day - three targeting churches and killing more than 40 people - raising fears that they are trying to ignite sectarian civil war.

The Boko Haram Islamist sect, which aims to impose sharia law across the country, claimed responsibility for the three church bombs, the second Christmas in a row the group has caused mass carnage with deadly bombings of churches. Security forces also blamed the sect for two other blasts in the north.

St Theresa's Catholic Church in Madala, a satellite town about 40 km (25 miles) from the centre of the capital Abuja, was packed when the bomb exploded just outside. At least 35 people were killed and more than 50 wounded there.

Hours after the first bomb, blasts were reported at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in the central, ethnically and religiously mixed town of Jos, and at a church in northern Yobe state at the town of Gadaka.

Commenting on the attacks, Ribal Al-Assad, the Chairman of the Iman Foundation, said:

"I condemn these evil, horrific and senseless terrorist acts. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the victims, their families and the Nigerian people. The international community must unite and tackle extremism and terrorism on all sides of the religious spectrum. Dialogue is vital to bringing about greater understanding and mutual acceptance in the world today."