No-one has claimed responsibility for the blast in the city of Yola but it has the hallmarks of an attack by Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
Sa'ad Bello from the National Emergency Management Agency told reporters another 38 people were being treated in hospital.
The blast happened late last night as market traders were closing shops.
Yola is the capital of the Nigerian Adamawa State and estimates suggest the area is at least half Christian.
Boko Haram has been attacking Christians as it attempts to set up an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria.
The latest attack came just after a suicide bomber exploded outside a military barracks in Maiduguri leaving eight soldiers dead.