NIGERIA, CALABAR – The Cross River State Government has faulted Akwa Ibom’s recent claims over 76 oil wells, describing them as “misrepresentations and outright falsehood” in a press statement released on July 28, 2025.
According to Erasmus Ekpang, Commissioner for Information, Akwa Ibom’s Attorney-General, Uko Udom, SAN, “misled the public” with his July 24 release, wrongly linking the oil well dispute to the 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on Bakassi.
“The ICJ judgment was never about oil wells,” Ekpang said, stressing that only the southern portion of Bakassi was ceded to Cameroon. “Western Bakassi remains in Cross River State,” he added.
Cross River argues that the 76 oil wells, awarded to Akwa Ibom in 2008, were unjustly allocated based on a “technical option” used by the National Boundary Commission without involving Cross River.
“It must be noted that we were not invited to the Kano retreat where this decision was made,” the commissioner said. He emphasized that there was no boundary dispute with Akwa Ibom prior to August 2008.
Ekpang revealed that Governor Bassey Otu initiated a fresh investigation in March 2024 after uncovering Revenue Commission records showing Cross River had received no oil revenue from its maritime territory.
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In response, the Federal Government formed an inter-agency committee, including the Surveyor General’s office, the Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Commission, and other stakeholders to investigate Cross River’s claim.
The committee, in May 2024, verified that 67 oil wells fall within Cross River’s maritime boundary using the 11th edition of the Administrative Map and 2004 well dichotomy studies.
“It is discomforting that Akwa Ibom seeks to mislead the public and hide behind the 2012 Supreme Court ruling,” Ekpang stated, urging Akwa Ibom to “resist the temptation to manipulate facts.”
The Cross River Government maintains that the Presidency has called for broad consultations and peaceful resolution, even as it insists that truth must prevail.
“This will be our only response,” Ekpang concluded, affirming the state’s commitment to justice, transparency, and federal cooperation on the matter.