The Vatican condemned the "systematic attacks against Christian places of worship" which it said proved the existence of an "absurd plan of hate" in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims.
The violence stoked fears of wider sectarian conflict in Nigeria, an OPEC member and Africa's top oil producer. The Christian Association of Kano, northern Nigeria's main city, called the bombings "a clear invitation to religious war".
Nigeria's Muslims and Christians mostly co-exist peacefully but periodic flare-ups of sectarian violence have killed hundreds since independence from Britain in 1960. In the past, outbursts of