Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, has dismissed Cross River State’s claim to 76 oil wells, stating that Akwa Ibom owes them nothing. Speaking on ARISE TV on Thursday, September 11, 2025, Attah explained that Cross River lost its status as a littoral state following the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon under the International Court of Justice ruling and the Green Tree Agreement.
“The only reason Cross River was ever regarded as a littoral state was because it had direct access to the Atlantic Ocean through Bakassi. But with the ICJ ruling and the Green Tree Agreement, Bakassi was ceded to Cameroon. That immediately left Cross River landlocked, with only a few islands, and therefore no longer a littoral state,” he said.
According to Attah, the consequence of the ICJ judgment was that all oil wells in Bakassi were lost to Cameroon.
He emphasized that official maps clearly show that the Nigeria–Cameroon boundary meets Akwa Ibom’s boundary before reaching the sea. “By law and geography, Cross River no longer qualifies as a littoral state,” he noted.
He further stressed that being located on a river does not make a state littoral. “Benue sits on the Benue River, Niger on the Niger River, Kogi at the confluence of the Niger and Benue, and Cross River State itself on the Cross River, but none of them are littoral. Littoral status depends strictly on access to the sea, not rivers or naval bases,” Attah said, adding that Akwa Ibom does not owe Cross River any 76 oil wells.
On reports of a ₦500 million payment to Cross River, the former governor clarified that no such deal was made under his administration. “If such an agreement was reached, it was after my administration. During my tenure, Cross River went to court hoping to gain oil wells from the ICJ decision. But when the judgment went against them, they withdrew the case. I countersued and insisted that the Supreme Court and Federal Government uphold the ICJ ruling. The Court affirmed that Cross River is not a littoral state,” he explained.
He argued that oil wells belong strictly to the state in whose territory they are located. “If they lie within Akwa Ibom boundaries, they belong to Akwa Ibom. Nobody has ever provided proof that Akwa Ibom is drawing revenue from Cross River oil wells. Boundaries decide ownership, not sentiment,” he said.
Addressing calls for a political solution, Attah recalled that he once suggested a compromise. “I once suggested a political compromise, even proposing that portions could be shared, but Cross River rejected it and chose to rely on the courts. When the Supreme Court judgment did not favor them, they withdrew, and I obtained judgment in Akwa Ibom’s favor,” he said.
“To now suggest that Akwa Ibom should ‘dash’ Cross River oil wells is like asking Zamfara to give away its gold mines. Oil wells are not gifts, they are tied to land. Unless Nigeria’s boundaries are to be redrawn, which is unthinkable, there is no basis for negotiation,” Attah concluded.