Nigeria Christmas from hell starts around 7.30 a.m at St. Theresa’s Church in Madalla, a suburb of the capital Abuja, just as worshippers spilling out of the popular service. “A man with a motorcycle dropped a bag outside the Church,” St. Theresa said time. “One of the officials went to check what’s in the bag and at the same time he reached it, when there was an explosion. Everyone started running. You can imagine how many people are running around. We thought it was a blast of a car parked outside but we now find it’s really my bag, go to check out. ” An explosion partially destroyed the roof of the Church and shattered glass in nearby buildings. Turns out to be just part of a wave of bombings that struck the packed churches and cities in Nigeria as Islamist militants launched a series of Christmas day which left at least 39 dead and scores more wounded in the most densely populated countries in Africa.

Christian youth angry, angry over the attack, initially refused to let the dead bodies were removed from the smoldering debris, demanding that President Goodluck Jonathan to personally see what has happened. Officials from the national emergency management agency struggling with shortages of ambulances. Police finally part of the area and dispersed the mob reportedly fired live bullets into the air.

It’s not the first bombing in the capital. Boko Haram members suspected of blowing up Nigeria’s first ever suicide bombing in August on the United Nations compound, killing 24. The group, which draws inspiration from the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, struggling to a strict interpretation of Sharia law in Nigeria 160-million strong population, which is roughly divided between Muslims and Christians. Boko Haram (which roughly means “Non-Islamic education is prohibited” in the Hausa language of Nigeria) are believed to have been behind four next blast.