December 2011 Nigeria bombings

December 2011 Northern Nigeria attacks
Part of the Nigerian Sharia conflict
Damaturu Jos Gadaka Madalla December 2011 Northern Nigeria attacks (Nigeria)
Location	Madalla, Jos, Gadaka, and Damaturu, Nigeria
Date	25 December 2011 (UTC+01:00)
Target	Nigerian Christians
Attack type	Suicide bombings, bombings and shootings
Deaths	41+
Non-fatal injuries	57+

A series of attacks occurred during Christmas Day church services in northern Nigeria on 25 December 2011. There were bomb blasts and shootings at churches in Madalla, Jos, Gadaka, and Damaturu. A total of 41 people were reported dead.

Boko Haram, a Muslim sect in Nigeria, later claimed responsibility for the attacks.

At least 37 people died and 57 others were injured in an attack at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, a satellite town of Abuja located 40 km (25 mi) from the city center. A local coordinator with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the death toll.

NEMA spokesperson Yushau Shuaibu said that the Madalla bombing occurred on the street outside the church. He added that the church, which can hold 1,000 people, was badly affected by the blast. Witnesses said that the windows of nearby houses were shattered by the explosion. Officials at the local hospital said that the condition of many injured people was serious. Slaku Luguard, a NEMA coordinator, said that rescue workers found at least 25 bodies and officials were tallying the wounded in various hospitals. NEMA acknowledged that it did not have enough ambulances to help the wounded. Luguard also said that an angry crowd, which gathered at the blast site, blocked emergency workers from getting inside: "We're trying to calm the situation. There are some angry people around trying to cause problems," he said.

An explosion hit the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in Jos and gunmen later fired on police who were guarding the area resulting in the death of one police officer.

Another two bombs were found in a nearby building and were disarmed.

Two explosions were reported in the city of Damaturu and another at a church in the northeastern town of Gadaka. At least one of the attacks in Damaturu was the work of a suicide car bomber, who rammed the building housing the headquarters of the State Security Service. At least three people were killed in that blast; a senior military commander allegedly targeted by it survived.