NAN – Two persons sustained gun shot injuries while the Bodija Police Station was set on fire on Friday following a clash between the police and some members of the Hausa community.

The News Agency of Nigeria learnt that some irate members of the Hausa community were protesting the alleged killing of one of their members by a policeman attached to Bodija Police Station.

The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Alhaji Tambuwa Muhammed, who confirmed the incident, told newsmen that one person was killed while six suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.

Muhammed said the incident started on Thursday night when two members of the Hausa community engaged in a scuffle over a woman.

He said one of them was stabbed in the scuffle, adding, “The suspect was said to have ran away while on Thursday morning he was arrested.”

The commissioner said some members of the community, who were armed with dangerous weapons and charms, came to the station on Friday morning and insisted that the suspect should be released to them.

He said that their request was turned down by the policemen on duty, who suggested that the suspect be left for interrogation.

“It was at point that one of the Hausa men brought out his sword to stab one of the policemen in the hand.

“The second policeman on duty, in self defence, shot and killed one of them.

“This action was said to have drawn the ire of members of the Hausa community in the area as they attacked the policemen and burnt the police station and set some of the shops ablaze,” Muhammed said.

The Chairman of the Police Public Relations Committee, Mr. John Onome, however, appealed to Muhammed to retain policemen within the market.

“We have a large hall that can be used for a police station pending when the building would be rebuilt,” Onome said.

NAN reports that the clash crippled commercial activities at the market renown as one the biggest foodstuff markets in the South West Zone.

NAN, however, sighted a detachment of the joint security patrol team as well as regular and mobile policemen keeping vigil at the market.