[size=14pt]Court stops ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon[/size]

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has restrained the Federal Government from going ahead with the final ceding of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon slated for August 14, 2008.
Making the preservative order on Thursday, Justice Mohammed Umar said, the justice of this case is that parties to this suit should maintain the status quo, so that the res (substance) will not be destroyed.”

According to him, ``the res, is southern Bakassi, which is to be ceded by the defendants on Aug. 14. ``It is hereby ordered that parties should maintain the status quo and should not take any step pending the hearing of all applications.”
The suit was filed by some Bakassi natives led by two former chairmen of Bakassi Local Government, Chief Emmanuel Etene and Mr Ani Esin, to stop the ceding of the territory to Cameroon.

They are seeking N456 billion as compensation before the cession could take place.
Meanwhile, further hearing in the case has been adjourned till October 20, 2008 when the court would have resumed from annual vacation.
It would be recalled that Nigeria and Cameroon signed the “Green Tree
Agreement'' under which Abuja agreed to cede the peninsula to Yaounde after the International
Court of Justice at The Hague ruled that the territory belonged to Cameroon.
According to the terms of the agreement, which was signed in New York on June 12, 2006, Cameroon was to assume full sovereignty over the peninsula on August 14, 2008.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2008/aug/01/newsbreak-01-08-2008-001.htm