BBC reports – Nigerian Christians will have “no other option” but to defend themselves if attacks by Islamist militants continue, church leaders have said.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said the Boko Haram group had declared war with its recent violence.
More than 40 people were killed in attacks on churches in northern and central areas on Christmas Day.
Since then, some 90,000 people have fled their homes amid clashes between Boko Haram and police in Damaturu.
Earlier on Wednesday, six children and an adult were injured when a homemade bomb was thrown into an Islamic school in the southern Delta state.
A police spokesman said the bomb had been thrown from a moving car – it was not clear who was behind the attack, which has raised fears of retaliatory vigilante strikes.
BBC Africa correspondent Karen Allen says Africa’s most populous nation and biggest oil producer faces the spectre of sectarian violence between the largely Muslim north and mostly Christian south.
Muslim leaders have, however, moved to downplay the prospect of communal clashes.
“The consensus is that the Christian community nationwide will be left with no other option than to respond appropriately if there are any further attacks on our members, churches and property,” said the leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria, an umbrella group of the country’s churches.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16350635