At least 15 people have been killed in a bomb attack on a Catholic church on the outskirts of Nigerian capital Abuja.

The bomb went off in St Theresa’s Church in Madalla as worshippers took part in Christmas prayers.

The BBC reports that an explosion followed soon after in a second church in the city of Jos.

It is not known how many people were inside the two churches at the time of the attack but the AFP quotes an unidentified rescue worker as saying that 15 dead were taken away from the scene in three ambulances.

So far, no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attacks, but Nigerian churches have been targeted in recent years by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram.

The group claimed responsibility for attacks in Jos last Christmas that claimed dozens of lives.

Christians have long called for greater protection of their churches and villages following numerous attacks in which children have been among the thousands of victims.

Jos is one of the worst hit areas, lying at the flash point between the predominantly Muslim north and Christian south.