By Ayo Ayodele
The Akwa Ibom State Government has firmly denied initiating any legal action against Cross River State over the ownership of 76 offshore oil wells, restating that it was Cross River that dragged the state to court—and lost on both occasions.
In a detailed statement issued Friday by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom (SAN), the government sought to set the record straight amid renewed “misinformation, incitement and petitions” allegedly instigated by Cross River State.
Udom emphasized that the Supreme Court had already resolved the dispute in Akwa Ibom’s favour twice, citing landmark rulings in 2005 and 2012 which confirmed Akwa Ibom’s ownership of the oil wells and declared Cross River a non-littoral state, thereby lacking entitlement to offshore resources.
“In both suits—SC.124/1999 and SC.27/2010—the apex court held unequivocally that Cross River had no maritime boundary following the 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment which ceded Bakassi to Cameroon,” Udom said. “As such, it cannot lay claim to offshore oil wells.”
He noted that Akwa Ibom had offered a ₦250 million monthly ex gratia to Cross River in 2006 to ease the economic impact of the ICJ ruling, but the gesture was rejected. Despite numerous peace overtures, he said, Cross River opted for “confrontational media campaigns” instead of engaging in productive dialogue.
The statement added that Cross River’s officials have made “incendiary and patently false claims” that have stoked tensions, warning against attempts to rewrite settled legal decisions or provoke unrest.
Udom reaffirmed Akwa Ibom’s commitment to a political solution—provided it respects judicial rulings and addresses both the oil wells and communities controversially added to Cross River after the ICJ ruling.
“Akwa Ibom lost 86 oil wells to Rivers State in 2011 and accepted that decision in good faith,” he said. “We urge Cross River to follow that example.”
He called on both states to heed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s counsel for dialogue and peaceful coexistence, and urged the federal government to explore fiscal and developmental interventions to support Cross River without dispossessing Akwa Ibom of its rights.
“We will continue to promote peace and uphold the rule of law, but we will also firmly defend what rightly belongs to our people,” Udom concluded.