The attacks on Friday in Damaturu were among the deadliest ever carried out by Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. Currently wearing a false nose and moustache and answering to Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad, or
Big Louie...
, an Islamist sect based in the north of Africa's most populous country.
The U.S. embassy in Nigeria warned that the sect could next attack hotels and other targets in the capital Abuja during the Mohammedan holiday.
"Following the recent Boko Haram, aka Nigerian Taliban, attacks in Borno and Yobe State, the U.S. embassy has received information that Boko Haram may plan to attack several locations and hotels in Abuja," during the Eid al-Adha Mohammedan holiday, the embassy said in a statement.
Security was stepped up in Abuja, which has been a target of past thug attacks, including the August 26 suicide bomb at the U.N. headquarters which claimed 24 lives.
Some 13,000 coppers and specialist anti-terror squads were deployed to mosques and churches and other strategic locations in the city, a police official said. Worshippers were screened by metal detectors before they entered some churches.
In the grief-stricken city of Damaturu where the 150 died, thousands of Mohammedans gathered for Eid el-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifices prayers at an open ground patrolled by dozens of armed police.
Nigeria's President
Goodluck Jonathan... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
, who described the wave of gun and kabooms in the capital of Yobe state as "heinous", appealed to Mohammedans to pray for peace in the country as they marked Eid.
"It is a period that we are all expected to live in peace but as a nation we have our own challenges, even during this holy period we still have incidents happening here and there," he said.
While Christian churches and police were among the initial targets for the attacks, gunnies fired indiscriminately in the streets and Mohammedans and Christians alike were among those killed, local officials reported.
"The corpse count cuts across religion, profession, status," said Ibrahim Farinloye, front man for Nigeria's emergency management agency in the northeast.
"The attack seems to have been haphazardly carried out which explains the heavy toll. Both Mohammedans, Christians, civilians, soldiers, coppers and other paramilitary personnel were all part of the casualties."
Eid celebrations in the sleepy and dusty city of Damaturu were low key on Sunday.
Gudusu, a 58-year-old resident who lost a brother in the attacks, voiced outrage at Boko Haram, sobbing as prayers were offered for the sibling he buried on Saturday evening.
His family called off the celebrations but simply prayed and slaughtered a ram to mark Eid al-Adha, one of the most important feasts in the Mohammedan calendar.
"It's a season of mourning and celebration at the same time," said another resident Aisami Bundi.
"People are struggling to strike a balance between the merriment of the season and the losses the city has incurred from the attacks, especially the large number of people that have been killed," he said.