At least 15 people have been killed in a gun attack on a church in central Nigeria, officials say.
Gunmen stormed the church near the city of Okene in Kogi state and fired on worshippers, they say.
"I can confirm 15 [dead]," a spokesman for Kogi state governor Jacob Edi is quoted by AFP as saying.
It is not clear who carried out the attack but militant Islamist group Boko Haram has carried out numerous raids on churches and other targets in Nigeria.
The joint military force commander in the state, Lt Col Gabriel Olorunyomi, said the pastor was among those killed in the attack on Deeper Life Bible Church in the town of Otite, near Okene, the AP news agency reports.
Many others were wounded in the attack and rushed to different hospitals, Lt Col Gabriel Olorunyomi said.
The authorities are searching for more victims who may have run into the bush nearby, he added.
In April, Nigeria's security forces raided a suspected bomb-making factory in the Okene area, killing at least nine alleged Islamist militants.
The raid, in the Okene district of Kogi state, came after the authorities discovered the facility they believe was run by the Boko Haram sect.
-BBC
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