According to reports, pro-Biafra separatist militants attacked Nigeria and Cameroon’s joint border patrol forces in Bakassi on Sunday, killing several members of the team.
The attack was reportedly orchestrated by the Black Marines, a militant group loyal to the Biafra Nations League, a Nigerian separatist group laying claim to the Bakassi Peninsula ceded to Cameroon.
According to Sunrise Daily TV, a Nigeria-based television, the attack left at least 17 members of the Joint Border Patrol forces dead.
MMI could not independently verify the claims. Cameroonian and Nigerian authorities have also made no official statements about the attack.
Reports say the attack was carried out near the Nigerian border village of Ugenghe in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The border forces were reportedly guarding oil installations and workers near the maritime border.
For several years now, the Bakassi Peninsula has been prone to attacks from Biafra militants from Nigeria and Ambazonia separatists from South Western Cameroon.
The oil-rich peninsula, to which Cameroon and Nigeria have strong ties, was ceded to Cameroon in 2002 after a longstanding dispute.
However, Nigerian non-state armed groups continue to launch attacks on the area, which has remained largely impoverished and underdeveloped.
