The bombers struck at the Jaji military barracks in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna in a coordinated attack, a military source said.

Two cars were driven into the barracks, 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the Nigerian capital Abuja, at about 1:45 p.m local time, an unnamed official told the Reuters news agency.

"A Kia branded car drove into the church premises ... and detonated," said the source. "Then an ash-colored Toyota Camry drove in and exploded while people came to help after the first bomb. Most people died from the second blast."

The bombing was confirmed by Nigeria's National Emergency Management spokesman Yushau Shuaib, who said the explosion took place after a service inside the church. Shuaib gave no casualty figures.

While there was no claim of responsibility, the Islamist sect Boko Haram - which wants to establish Sharia law in northern Nigeria - has claimed responsibility for previous attacks on churches in Kaduna. The region lies along a fault line dividing the country's mainly Muslim north from the south of the country, which is mainly Christian.

The Nigerian army on Saturday offered 290 million naira (1.4 million euros, $1.8million) for information leading to the capture leading members of the group.

Since Boko Haram began an insurgency in 2009, it is believed to have killed at least 2,800 people, according to the group Human Rights Watch.

rc/dr (AP, Reuters)