In a fresh development, a foreign speed boat which was reportedly believed to be conveying oil equipment has been attacked on Sunday morning near Bakassi waters which is being controlled by Cameroon forces.
One of the sailors, according to sources, was unfortunate enough to have been hit by a flying bullet.
It was also reported that some of the security personnel who accompanied the boat were said to have abandoned the boat and fled when the attackers opened fire at the boat.
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The militants have been identified as some of the armed loyalists of the Biafra Nations League, BNL which operates mostly around the Bakassi maritime creeks and the foreign boat was said to be heading towards the maritime border area with Nigeria.
The sources said the incident occurred at Archibong town, Isangele subdivision of Bakassi Peninsula on the side of Cameroon but that the attackers were unable to hijack the boat as intended.
Nigeria and Cameroon are jointly exploring oil at the maritime borders of the Bakassi Peninsula in accordance with the Green Tree Agreements which ceded part of the Peninsula to Cameroon.
Insecurity and pirate attacks have continued to increase in that axis in recent times with Biafra separatists being the major challenge.
Reacting on his Facebook page, the leader of BNL, Princewill Richards said he met with leaders in Bakassi Peninsula and called for collaboration between stakeholders to stem the rising insecurity in the region.
In another report, Gunmen suspected to be linked to the Islamic State on Saturday have also killed 10 people in the latest spate of violence in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, militia sources revealed.
The 10 victims, nine men and a woman, were scavenging for metal scrap from vehicles burnt in military operations in Goni Kurmi village, near the town of Bama, when they were attacked,.
“The 10 people were all shot,” militia leader Babakura Kolo said. “The victims were in the village to scavenge for metal scraps when they ran into the terrorists who shot them dead,” said Kolo.