More casualties reported in ongoing attacks on Nigerian churches

At least eight people were shot dead by unknown assailants on Friday night in a Christian church in the northeastern Nigerian state of Adamawa, international media reported. A group of militants burst into a church in the city of Yola and opened gunfire on worshippers during a Friday service killing at least eight Christians. The assault is the latest in a string of attacks targeting Nigerian churches, which have raised fears of sectarian conflict in Africa's most populous nation. On Thursday night, six people were killed and 10 more wounded also during a service in a church in the northeastern city of Gombe. Radical Islamic sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday. The group has been seeking to impose Sharia law across Nigeria with its predominantly Christian south and largely Muslim north. Nigeria declared a state of emergency last weekend after a series of deadly Christmas Day attacks by the group, in which more than 40 people were killed and scores injured. The affected areas include parts of the northeastern states of Yobe and Borno bordering Gombe, as well as the central states of Plateau and Niger.