Pipeline vandals on Sunday allegedly killed a policeman and burnt two Armoured Personnel Carriers in Ebute Ibafo, Ogun State.
Sources in the area said the incident occurred around 2p.m, triggering an exodus from the locality.
The police swiftly deployed three APCs to guard the nearby Ibafo Police Station, to prevent further attacks.
It was observed that there was palpable tension in the area as residents fear reprisals by security forces.
The spokesperson for the state command, Muyiwa Adejobi, could not be reached for comments.
Oil theft from the System 2B pipeline conveying petroleum products from Atlas Cove in Lagos State to Mosimi in Ogun State had heightened since the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company successfully stopped the illicit venture at Arepo, a few kilometres away from Ibafo.
Soldiers and Naval personnel have been stationed in Arepo since November 2015 to keep the vandals away.