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News Sport Weather World Service Languages Low Graphics version | Change edition About BBC News | Feedback | Help News Front Page Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East South Asia UK Business Health Science/Nature Technology Entertainment ----------------- Have Your Say In Pictures Week at a Glance Country Profiles In Depth Programmes LANGUAGES MORE > Last Updated: Wednesday, 3 November, 2004, 17:16 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bakassi troops pull-out 'legal' Most Bakassi residents consider themselves to be Nigerian Nigeria's Federal High Court has rejected a legal attempt to prevent President Olusegun Obasanjo withdrawing troops from the Bakassi peninsula. After missing a September deadline, Nigeria said it would comply with a World Court ruling to hand the disputed land to Cameroon. But four Bakassi residents went to court to try to stop the planned military pull out from the territory. No new date for the handover of the oil-rich peninsula has been agreed. 'Technical difficulties' Justice Binta Murtallah-Nyako rejected the resident's call for a ruling to recognise that their rights would be violated if the troops were withdrawn from Bakassi. "I refuse to grant the interim prayer stopping the president from withdrawing the military from the Bakassi peninsula," she is quoted by Nigeria's Guardian newspaper as saying. Q&A;: Bakassi Peninsula Nigerians fear handover She said the court had no right to interfere with the president's powers, but granted that an estimated 300,000 residents of Bakassi should be protected for as long as they remain a part of Nigeria. There has been fierce opposition to the change of sovereignty from the Bakassi people and Nigerian MPs. According to the BBC's Bilkisu Labaran Ohyoma in Abuja, later this month the court will hear a substantive case by the Bakassi residents seeking the court to conduct a referendum on the issue. Talks last month between Nigeria and Cameroon to agree a new handover date broke up without agreement, with the matter being referred back to the UN secretary general and the countries' presidents. After a long-running border dispute, the International Court of Justice in October 2002 ordered Nigeria to cede sovereignty of the 1,000-sq-km (400-sq-mile) territory to Cameroon. Many border villages have changed hands, but a 15 September deadline for the final handover passed without any movement, with Nigeria citing "technical difficulties". Bakassi juts into the Gulf of Guinea - which it is thought could contain up to 10% of the world's oil and gas reserves - south of the border between the two countries. It is also rich in fish. E-mail this to a friend Printable version LINKS TO MORE AFRICA STORIES SelectFrance attacks Ivorian airbaseDarfur peace talks take new turnMugabe flies to Equatorial GuineaFloods hit Somali leper communityNigeria fuel shortage hits planesMorocco mosque collapse kills 10African crops 'spared by locusts'Somali hopes rest with new PM'Miracle baby' couples fail testSudan defends forced relocationUS presses Annan over sex claimBakassi troops pull-out 'legal'Rally backs Nigeria strike callKenya toasts US senator's victoryIvory Coast jail riot kills fourUganda's rebels seek peace talksTaylor's men 'not behind riots'African bishops loosen Western tiesObesity epidemic 'out of control'Are you living in slavery?Testimony: Former Niger slaveAfrican elections: Your picturesSend us your pictures of AfricaProgrammes and schedulesUN condemns Ivory Coast bombing  SEE ALSO: Nigeria downplays Bakassi delay 15 Sep 04  |  Africa Nigeria seeks Bakassi referendum 03 Sep 04  |  Africa Doing time in a Cameroon 'cell' 24 Aug 04  |  Africa Nigeria hands Cameroon villages 19 Dec 03  |  Africa 'My home is in another country' 19 Jan 04  |  Africa Nigeria stalls on Bakassi 07 Aug 03  |  Africa RELATED BBC LINKS: Focus on Africa Network Africa RELATED INTERNET LINKS: Nigeria government Cameroonian presidency International Court of Justice Nigeria Congress The Guardian newspaper The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites TOP AFRICA STORIES NOW France attacks Ivorian airbase Darfur peace talks take new turn Mugabe flies to Equatorial Guinea Floods hit Somali lepers News alerts | E-mail services | Desktop ticker | Mobiles/PDAs Back to top ^^ News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia UK | Business | Entertainment | Science/Nature | Technology | Health Have Your Say | In Pictures | Week at a Glance | Country Profiles | In Depth | Programmes BBC Homepage >> | BBC Sport >> | BBC Weather >> | BBC World Service >> About BBC News | Help | Feedback | News sources | Privacy & Cookies Policy | About the BBC

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