LAGOS: Gunmen have opened fire on an evangelical church in central Nigeria, killing at least 15 people as a service was being held in the latest such attack in the country, officials and local media said Tuesday.

"I can confirm 15 (dead)," a spokesman for the state governor, Jacob Edi, told AFP of the attack in the Okene area of Kogi state late Monday.

A police spokesman said unknown gunmen attacked the church, while local media reported that a service was going on at the time. Details were still emerging from the attack at the Deeper Life Bible Church.

There has not yet been any claim for the attack.

Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has claimed scores of attacks on churches in northern and central Nigeria in recent months as part of an insurgency that has killed hundreds.

The group has also attacked Muslim figures as well as a range of other targets, including the United Nations building in the capital Abuja. – AGENCIES