A series of Christmas Eve church attacks and explosions have left at least 32 people dead in Nigeria as authorities worked Saturday to prevent a new wave of religious violence. The situation was especially tense in the central city of Jos, where explosions on Friday evening left at least eight people dead. The region has been previously hit by sectarian unrest that has killed hundreds this year.

In the city of Maiduguri in northern Nigeria, suspected members of an Islamist sect that launched an uprising last year attacked three churches, leaving six people dead and one of the churches burnt, an army spokesman said. There was no immediate indication the incidents in the vast country's north and central regions were linked. Police sought to calm the situation in Jos as some residents reported that a gang of youths had barricaded a road leading to an area where one blast occurred and had set about five vehicles ablaze. "The situation is tense now and we just want to pacify the people," state police spokesman Mohammed Lerama told AFP, refusing to comment further.
A national police spokesman has said at least eight people were killed in an explosion on Friday night in Jos, but the state information commissioner and residents have reported several blasts. The commissioner, Gregory Yenlong, also reported some 20 dead, but police cast doubt on the information. Police say they have not determined the cause, but Yenlong said there had been rumours of attacks aimed at disrupting Christmas celebrations in recent days. Local media attributed the explosions to bombs and death tolls varied widely.