Akwa Ibom Govt Dismisses Claims of Oil Wells Return to Cross River

The government of Akwa Ibom State says reports claiming some of its oil wells may be returned to Cross River State are misleading.

At a press briefing in Uyo, officials explained that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission only received a draft report from a federal committee, not a final decision or approved recommendation.

They pointed to earlier rulings by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which settled the dispute in 2005 and again in 2012. The court held that Cross River lost its littoral status after the 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice on the Nigeria–Cameroon boundary.

Authorities say those decisions remain final and binding, stressing that no oil wells have been ceded and the state will defend its economic interests through lawful means.