Islamists

Nigeria gunmen 'kill at least five Christians'

Gunmen in the northern Nigerian state of Yobe have shot dead at least five Christians, a human rights worker in the area has told the BBC.

He said that a church in Peri village near Potiskum, the economic capital of Yobe, was set on fire in an attack late on Christmas Eve.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killings.

But the Boko Haram Islamist militant group has targeted a number of churches in the north since 2010.

It has killed hundreds in its campaign to impose Sharia law.

Network for Justice head Zakari Adamu said that the gunmen also attacked the homes of Christians following the attack during the midnight mass service.

The AFP news agency reported that the pastor of the church - a branch of the Evangelical Church of West Africa - is among the dead.