Nigerian police say a suicide car bomber has killed at least six soldiers and one civilian in an attack in the northeastern state of Yobe.

Yobe state police commissioner Patrick Egbuniwe said the bomber detonated his vehicle Sunday, as security forces were chasing him in the city of Damaturu.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Nigerian authorities have blamed the Islamic militant group Boko Haram for many deadly bombings and shootings in the country in recent years.

Boko Haram says it is fighting to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria and does not recognize the Nigerian government or the constitution.

Nigeria has a history of sectarian violence, especially in the country's Middle Belt, where the mainly Muslim north meets the predominantly Christian south.