UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that he was "appalled" by an outbreak of violence in Nigeria that claimed at least 39 lives.
A spokesman for the UN leader said that Ban "condemns these deplorable acts of violence, especially at a time when millions of Nigerians are celebrating religious holidays, and supports efforts by the Nigerian authorities to bring those responsible to justice."
Clashes left at least one person dead and a number of houses burned in the Nigerian city of Jos on Sunday amid tensions following a series of Christmas Eve bomb attacks that killed dozens.
Many of the victims were doing their Christmas shopping at the time and a church was also targeted.
On the same night, suspected members of an Islamist sect that launched an uprising last year attacked three churches in northern Nigeria, leaving six people dead and one of the churches burnt.
Soldiers patrolled the streets of the central Nigerian city while authorities sought to keep the violence from further spreading after Friday’s bombings.
