Aniefiok Christopher
Renewed tension is brewing between Akwa Ibom and Cross River as both states are contesting the ownership of 76 oil wells, reigniting a silent feud between both in eyeing increased revenue allocations from the Federal Government.
For a long time now, Akwa Ibom has fathered the oil wells following two Supreme Court rulings allocating her the oil wells after declaring Cross River a non-littoral state.
Ultimately, Cross River Government feeling deprived of such natural resources has rekindled hope of many that Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMFC) will re-allocate the oil wells to the state in a bid to boosting her monthly earnings on excess crude oil.
However, the Chairman of the commission, Mohammed Shehu, had on Sunday said the RMAFC’s attention was drawn to a “purported report allegedly issued by the Inter-Agency Committee on the Verification of Coordinates of Disputed Crude Oil and Gas Wells between States.”
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Shehu described the report as “misleading, premature, and does not represent the position or conclusions of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.”
As a follow up, the Akwa Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Essien Udom, has faulted media reports suggesting that the 76 oil wells legally owned by the state following two Supreme Court judgments may be returned to Cross River State, denying that anything has been ceded.
According to the reports, the RMFC had projected Cross River State to be re-listed as an oil-producing state after receiving the final report of the Federal Government’s Inter-Agency Committee on oil-producing states.
The committee’s mandate was to determine, scientifically, the precise location of oil and gas assets within Nigeria’s onshore and offshore boundaries.
The AG, who was accompanied by other commissioners including Paul Usoro SAN; Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN; the former commissioner for justice, Ekpenyong Ntekim; the commissioner for finance, Enem Bob, and other key officials of government, called for calm as the matter had since been laid by the the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, twice in its judgement on the matter.
Speaking during a media interaction held at the Government House Conference Hall on Monday, the commissioner said the state had reviewed the report and restated the facts to prevent misinformation and deliberate distortion of constitutional realities.
Udom clarified that the Commission has publicly restated that what it received on February 13, 2026, is a draft report, not a decision, not an approved recommendation, and certainly not a reallocation of oil wells.
According to him, the Commission has described the circulating claims as speculative and not reflective of any final position.
“Akwa Ibom State Government has carefully reviewed recent media reports suggesting that oil wells attributed to Akwa Ibom State may be ‘returned’ to Cross River State following the submission of a ‘report’ by a Federal Government Inter-Agency Committee to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
”We consider it necessary to restate the facts clearly and authoritatively, in order to prevent misinformation and deliberate distortion of constitutional realities.
”Firstly, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has publicly clarified that what it received on 13th February 2026 is a draft report — not a decision, not an approved recommendation, and certainly not a reallocation of oil wells. The Commission has described the circulating claims as speculative and not reflective of any final position’.”
Udom stressed that the Supreme Court has dismissed Cross River’s claim over the estuarine southern territory, where all the oil wells are situated.
”The Court made it clear that the October 10, 2002 judgment of the ICJ on the land and maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon, had fundamentally altered Cross River State’s coastal status. The Court held that the ICJ decision effectively eliminated Cross River’s estuarine section with the legal implication that Cross River no longer possessed a seaward boundary.
”Subsequently, despite Akwa Ibom State’s efforts to promote peaceful engagement and preserve kinship and harmony, further litigation was initiated by Cross River State seeking clarification on offshore entitlements.
”On 10th July 2012, the Supreme Court again ruled decisively in favour of Akwa Ibom State, holding that : Cross River State was no longer a littoral state entitled to offshore derivation; Its case was founded on a legally unsustainable assumption; and Akwa Ibom State’s entitlement to the oil wells was fully recognised,” he recalled.
“No inter-agency committee, no technical panel, and no institutional process can alter, amend, reinterpret, or sit in appeal over a judgment of the Supreme Court,adding that any action inconsistent with a subsisting judgment of the apex court would be unconstitutional, null, and void.”
Otu gives Cross Riverians hope
Meanwhile, Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, on Monday, declared that the state would no longer be denied its rightful place in Nigeria.
Otu made the declaration at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, upon his return from Abuja, while addressing Cross Riverians comprising government officials, political support groups, youths, and market women, who came out to welcome him back to Calabar.
Addressing journalists and supporters shortly after his arrival, Otu thanked the people of the state for their prayers and steadfast support, describing their solidarity as the driving force behind his administration’s resolve.
Reflecting on the sacrifices made by Cross River in the interest of national unity, including the ceding of Bakassi for peace, the governor insisted that fairness and justice must prevail.
“The ceding of part of Bakassi was for the peace of the country. It was not for Cross River State to lose its oil well. We are full-fledged Nigerians. Nobody can deny us our rights. And that time has come,” Otu said.
The governor reaffirmed that the state would continue to forge ahead under his “People First” agenda, assuring residents that Cross River’s future remains bright and unstoppable.
Eno accuses Cross River of using propaganda
In a similar development, Akwa Ibom Governor, Umo Eno has accused the Cross River State Government of deploying propaganda in a bid to overturn Supreme Court judgments affirming Akwa Ibom’s ownership of 76 oil wells, as the lingering dispute between the neighbouring states resurfaces.
Eno spoke in Uyo amid renewed claims by Cross River authorities to the oil wells, despite the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) distancing itself from reports suggesting it planned to implement recommendations ceding some disputed wells to specific oil-producing states.
Amid rising expectations in Cross River over a possible recovery of the oil wells, Governor Eno expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would uphold the rule of law and respect the Supreme Court’s decisions.
“There are two Supreme Court judgments that give Akwa Ibom the right to those oil wells. We are not sharing maritime boundaries with Cross River State but with the Republic of Cameroun, and the Supreme Court has said so twice to establish this fact,” Eno said.
He dismissed the renewed claims as baseless propaganda, insisting that the court’s rulings remain binding.
“There is no cause for alarm. The people on the other side may cook up any story they want, raise propaganda, but this propaganda has no effect in the face of the two Supreme Court decisions establishing our ownership of the oil wells. This is not about sentiments.”
The governor urged residents to remain calm, expressing confidence in the President’s commitment to the rule of law.
“Facts are sacrosanct, and you cannot push them under the carpet with sentiments. Let our people remain calm because our President is a man who respects the rule of law,” he added.
The dispute over the oil wells has long been a source of tension between Akwa Ibom and Cross River, with revenue implications for both states.
