Speeding up his vehicle, the attacker approached a checkpoint near the church in Bauchi State, which has previously been hit by Islamist group Boko Haram and where tension between Muslims and Christians has led to violence in the past.
"We have a checkpoint not far from the church which prevented the bomber from gaining access to his target," said state police commissioner Mohammed Ladan.
"So he rammed the car into a security gate and the car exploded," Ladan added.
Bauchi`s State Emergency Management Agency said in a statement that it found 15 dead bodies at the blast site and evacuated 40 injured people to a nearby hospital, adding that the area around the church had been cordoned off by police.
Witnesses said the force of the blast near the Harvest Field of Christ church on the outskirts of Bauchi city caused the building to collapse on the worshippers inside.
Prior to 2009, Bauchi was plagued by violence between the state`s Christian and Muslim communities, while the nearby city of Jos in Plateau state has seen some of Nigeria`s most deadly sectarian strife.
No group has claimed Sunday`s attack, but Boko Haram, responsible for more than 1,000 deaths since July 2009, has repeatedly targeted Christians, typically while they are worshipping in church.
The group also blew up a military barracks and killed 13 in Bauchi city on May 29, 2011, just hours after President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
