Controversial 76 Oil Wells: Cross River asks S-Court to suspend judgement

[MrVan]

By IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI, Abuja

Legal tussle over the ownership of 76 disputed oil wells assumed a fresh dimension yesterday, as the Cross River State government, approached the Supreme Court, asking to suspend its judgment in the appeal it lodged against Akwa Ibom State.

The application sought to arrest the judgment of the apex court which was originally fixed for next week Tuesday, July 10.

Cross River State had in its appeal, contended that the controversial 76 oil wells, which it said was transferred to the Akwa Ibom state by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, legally belonged to it.

In a bid to prove its case, the appellant, via a motion it filed through its lead counsel, Chief Yusuf Ali, alleged that a map that was tendered before the apex court by Akwa Ibom state, was doctored, insisting that it did not represent the true position of the Nigeria-Cameroun boundary.

It noted that the map which is being relied upon by the apex court in resolving the protracted dispute between the two states was fraudulent, even as it has applied that the map be expunged from the list of evidences before the court.

The said map was attached to an affidavit that was deposed to by one Alhaji Bashir Shettima of the National Boundary Commission.

Besides, Cross River state, in its latest application, urged the apex court to summon Mr Shettima for cross examination, with a view to ascertaining why, the deponent, being an employee of the Federal Government, tendered false and biased evidence in a matter of such magnitude.

It said that NBC had in several letters affirmed the right of Cross River State to the disputed oil wells, only for Shetima to depose to an affidavit that stated the contrary.

Specifically, Cross River is also praying the court to issue an order to compel former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, to also appear and testify as a witness in order to give evidence on the advice he gave in 2006 which the appellant said was the foundation of a political solution that was agreed upon by the parties.

It stressed that it was President Olusegun Obasanjo that harmonized the settlement agreement between the two warring states.

Cross River further sought an order compelling the current AGF, Mohammed Adoke Bello, SAN, to produce in court, the written advice given by Chief Bayo Ojo in his capacity as AGF in 2006, as well as the minutes of the meeting of 27th October, 2006, which formed the foundation of the political solution agreed upon by the parties.

It said: "Alhaji Bashir Shettima fraudulently concealed the fact that the map attached to his evidence was not an authoritative map but was merely a sketch and proposal made by the NBC and was never approved by the Federal Government.

Vanguard Nigeria

[Justin Nnamdi]

​W̶̲̥̅̊ђγ̲̣̣̥ should the court hold its judgment or since when has the executive arm of government started controlling the judiciary arm??
The Government of Cross River should clean skeletons out of their cupboards and Count their teeth with their Tongue...Gracias