Akwa Ibom, Cross River dispute: ICJ, Supreme Court judgments fully implemented — Ex-AGF
Former Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, says International Court of Justice, ICJ, and Nigerian Supreme Court rulings on the Akwa Ibom–Cross River oil boundary dispute have been fully implemented.
Speaking on ARISE News’ Morning Show, Aondoakaa stressed that any attempt to reopen the matter is legally baseless and undermines both domestic and international law.
He recalled his active role in the handover of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon under the Green Tree Agreement, signed to enforce the ICJ judgment.
“As chairman of the boundary committee and co-leader of the Green Tree Agreement implementation, I can confirm that the final stage — the Bakassi handover — was completed. The judgement was enforced to the letter,” he said.
According to him, the ICJ ruling clearly established that Cross River State lost its littoral status after the cession of Bakassi, meaning it no longer had legal access to offshore oil wells.
He added that the Supreme Court of Nigeria also upheld this position on two separate occasions, both times ruling in favour of Akwa Ibom.
“Cross River had its day in court — twice. The decisions were clear, and they were implemented,” Aondoakaa stated.
He criticised attempts by some interests to revive the dispute, noting that Cross River had failed to defend its position during crucial meetings with the National Boundary Commission.
“For five days in Calabar, boundary officials waited. No Cross River representative appeared. Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom cooperated and made its case,” he said.
He said that at the time, then-Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, who chaired the Boundary Commission, showed sympathy towards Cross River, but most members believed the state had forfeited its claims by failing to act.
Aondoakaa revealed that Akwa Ibom, despite its legal advantage, had offered Cross River a monthly N250 million payment as an act of goodwill — a gesture that was accepted at the time.
He maintained that all aspects of the Green Tree Agreement, including village realignments and territorial adjustments, were executed with international oversight.
“We had meetings in Switzerland. The process was witnessed and monitored by five global powers. Nigeria honoured its commitment and upheld the rule of law,” he said.
The former AGF insisted that international agreements must be respected, especially by a regional power like Nigeria.
“If we cherry-pick which judgments to obey, we lose credibility. We accepted villages returned from Cameroon — we must also accept those ceded,” he stated.
He concluded by warning that the matter is closed from a legal and diplomatic standpoint, and any effort to reignite it is both futile and irresponsible.
