Blasts have rocked three churches in northern Nigeria, killing 12 and wounding dozens.

The blasts took place Kaduna state, which divides the predominantly Muslim north and Christian-dominated south.

Two blasts hit churches in the city of Zaria, according to local officials. A third explosion took place at a church in Kaduna city.

A witness told VOA hundreds of people rioted after the attack in Kaduna city, but that police moved in and quelled the unrest. The governor has imposed a 24-hour curfew.

Authorities did not immediately name suspects. Similar attacks have been blamed on the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram.

One Zaria resident who did not want to be named told VOA his neighbor was killed.

“We are appealing to those responsible to please stop in the name of God. Please talk with the government,” said the resident.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for church attacks the last two Sundays which killed 18 people.

The militant group has said it is fighting to establish a strict Islamic state throughout Nigeria. It does not recognize the government or the country's constitution.

The country of 150 million is about evenly divided between Muslims and Christians.

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