The bomb detonated at Sheriff shopping mall plaza located in Wuse 2 causing panic within the city but nobody died or injured in the blast, security officials said.
As security agencies cleared the debris resulting from the explosion, they detonated another bomb planted by the roadside.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Abuja Head of Operation, said there was no need to cordon off the place again as the necessary checks have been carried out. But residents were cautious as they went about with their businesses.
The explosion comes just over a week after a bomb went off outside a nightclub in Abuja that shattered the windows of nearby buildings but caused no casualties.
Though Abuja has witnessed some attacks including the UN country headquarters bombing last year, the oil-rich country has been trying hard to ward off regular bombings within the capital.
A radical Islamic sect - Boko Haram - has claimed the bombings carry out most of their activities in northeastern part of the country.
The sect wants to carve out an Islamic caliphate out of the oil-rich country where it would enforce Sharia law.