By Ayo Kehinde
The Akwa Ibom State Government has dismissed reports suggesting that oil wells currently attributed to the state may be returned to Cross River State, describing the claims as speculative and misleading.
The government on Monday said media reports alleging that a Federal Government Inter-Agency Committee had recommended a reallocation of oil wells were inaccurate and premature.
It stated that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which reportedly received the committee’s submission on February 13, 2026, had clarified that the document was only a “draft report” and not a final decision or approved recommendation.
According to the state government, the commission has not taken any position that would alter the attribution of oil wells between Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, noting that the current status is anchored on previous judicial pronouncements, particularly judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The government recalled that in Suit No. 124/1999, Cross River State challenged Akwa Ibom over both northern non-estuarine boundary communities and the southern estuarine boundary where the oil wells are located.
In its June 24, 2005 judgment, the apex court ruled in favour of Cross River only on portions of the northern boundary but dismissed its claims over the estuarine southern territory.
The court also referenced the October 10, 2002 decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Nigeria-Cameroon land and maritime boundary, which led to the cession of the Bakassi Peninsula and affected Cross River’s coastal status.
Subsequently, in a July 10, 2012 judgment, the Supreme Court held that Cross River State was no longer a littoral state entitled to offshore derivation benefits and affirmed Akwa Ibom State’s entitlement to the oil wells.
The Akwa Ibom Government stressed that under Section 235 of the 1999 Constitution, decisions of the Supreme Court are final and binding on all authorities and persons throughout the federation.
It maintained that no inter-agency committee or administrative body has the constitutional power to alter or override a subsisting judgment of the apex court.
The state government assured residents that no oil well had been ceded and urged citizens to remain calm, stating that it would continue to protect the state’s economic interests through lawful and constitutional means.
It further described the “report” being circulated as part of a campaign of misinformation that does not reflect the legal reality of the boundary
