afrol News, 23 November - It seems the dispute over the ownership of the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula is still not amicably solved, despite a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice that Cameroon deserved the ownership rights. Nigerian senate's approved motion that the handover was illegal would confussion.

Nigerian senators, who believed that no part of their country should be ceded without a constitutional change, asked the federal government to halt the transfer.

Despite calling on the government to help Nigerians displaced by the handover, Nigerian senate did declare a retake of the disputed area.

Nigerian lawmakers said everything should stop until the parliament ratifies the transfer agreement.

The senate's declaration comes a few days after Cameroonian soldiers were ambushed in Bakassi. The attack has left 31 people dead [21 Cameroonian soldiers and 10 attackers].

Both Nigerian military and the Niger Delta militants denied carrying out the attack.

But Nigeria has since the attack beef up security on its Bakassi border.

Over the years, Bakassi had become a center of violent dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon. But a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 2002 gave the ownership right of the peninsula to Cameroon. The peninsula whose majority settlers are Nigerians was handed over to Cameroon on 14 August 2006, but Bakassi remains under Nigerian administration until next year.

Bakassi, which was administered by Nigeria since independence from Britain, extends into the Gulf of Guinea, contains about 10% of the world's oil and gas deposits and also endowed with fish.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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