By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
Rivers State has been declared owners of the disputed 17 oil wells with Imo state by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The court ruled on Friday that the oil wells located in Ndoni and Egbema communities actually belonged to Rivers.
Joseph Daudu, counsel to the Rivers State government, had earlier prayed the court to give judgment in favour of the state on the grounds that historical evidence from 1927 to date clearly indicated that the oil wells belonged to the state.
Daudu drew the attention of the court to the boundary adjustment paper of 1976 in which Ndoni and Egbema were confirmed to belong to Rivers State.
He also disagreed with the Attorney-General of the Federation’s contention that the dispute should have been heard in a Federal High Court rather than the Supreme Court because locals should have testified orally in the matter.
According to Daudu, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction and may easily examine all accessible historical documents dating back to the colonial era to identify which state owns the oil wells.
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