A suspected suicide bomber struck at a filling station in Kano late Friday killing at least six people, police said.
Several other people were injured and rushed to undisclosed hospitals.
The Kano police declined to disclose the hospitals, saying they do not want to expose the victims to further danger.
The attack occurred at Magasiku Filling Station, opposite the NNPC mega filling station in the Hotoro area of Kano.
The station is along Maiduguri Road.
The Kano State police commissioner, Adenrele Shinaba, told PREMIUM TIMES the attacker detonated a bomb so powerful it left a deep crater on the station’s concrete floor.
He said the bomber arrived in a Toyota Sienna van and queued alongside other customers, pretending as though buying fuel, before detonating the apparently bomb-laden vehicle.
Mr. Shinaba said the filling station immediately caught fire after the bomb went off but that rescue officials were able to put out the fire.
Six people were confirmed dead, and five others injured, the police said.
The dead, according to police, include the suicide bomber, the manager of the station, a pump attendant, and three police officers.
Security operatives have secured the scene of the attack, the police said.
Kano State has witnessed a series of attacks from suspected Boko Haram militants.
In September, armed men stormed a federal college in Kano, detonated bombs as students attended lectures, and shot at those who fled. At least 10 people were killed.