BY: FELIX IKPOTOR
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled in favour of Rivers State over the disputed 17 oil wells with Imo State and has ended the political arrangement on the sharing of revenue.
The apex court had on February 7 this year fixed today after taking arguments from lawyers involved in the oil wells’ ownership tussle.
Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who led a panel of justices, fixed today for final decision after the adoption of final written addresses by the lawyers.
In its verdict delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court resolved the ownership dispute of the 17 oil wells in favour of Rivers State.
In a landmark judgment prepared by Justice Heleen Ogunwumiju but delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court dismissed the counterclaim ownership put forward by the Imo State Government.
The court decided that the oil wells located in Ndoni and Egbema communities belong to Rivers.
There was previously a political arrangement put in place by the federal government for the revenue from the disputed wells to be shared equally between the two states.
However, when Emeka Ihedioha became governor in 2019, a presidential memo directed that all the revenue should go to Imo.
But the Rivers state government filed a suit against the presidential directive which the court has upheld today.
