Soldiers of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) recently engaged in a battle with six suspected pirates who had forcefully collected money amounting to millions of FCFA from Cameroonian traders in a boat dashed into the high seas and headed towards Nigeria, Cameroon Journal learned from security sources.

In the gun battle, the elements of the BIR killed four of the unidentified pirates and two others were nabbed and taken to the beach at the Nigerian and Cameroon border locality of Ekang, security sources said.

The Journal further learned that the bodies of the unidentified suspected pirates were displayed at the beach in Ekang in the presence of other security elements after which the BIR soldiers took them back into the high seas.

Reports citing eyewitnesses said, that when news got to the soldiers of the Rapid Intervention Battalion that the gunmen had hijacked the traders and robbed them of their money, the soldiers masked themselves, dressed like timber traders. After this tactical preparation, the soldiers went after the gunmen. Security sources said, the suspected pirates opened fire on the boat carrying the soldiers. The bandits reportedly missed their target before the BIR elements responded, killing four of the gunmen.

One female victim of the robbery incident who asked not to be named, said, she lost FCFA 3.5 million to the bandits. The robbery actually took place on land and the boat carrying the bandits dashed into the high seas after that and headed towards the Nigerian border.