A loud explosion shook an area near a church in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna on Sunday, but further details were not immediately clear, including on possible casualties, residents said.
“There was a loud explosion and I could see smoke on the horizon,” one resident said, adding there were claims of clashes breaking out between Christians and Muslims afterward.
Another resident also reported hearing the blast.
The explosion was said to have occurred in the Malali area of the city. Kaduna, a major city in Nigeria’s north, has been previously hit by attacks blamed on Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.
In June, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks on churches in Kaduna state, where the city of Kaduna is located, which led to deadly rioting. Dozens of people were killed in the violence.
Boko Haram’s insurgency in northern and central Nigeria has led to more than 2,800 deaths since 2009. While Muslims have often been its victims, it has in recent months specifically targeted churches.
President Goodluck Jonathan has said the group is seeking to incite a religious crisis in Africa’s most populous nation, roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.