Former Attorney General of the Federation Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, has stated that both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Nigeria’s Supreme Court rulings on the Akwa Ibom-Cross River oil boundary dispute have been fully implemented, leaving no legal basis for reopening the case.
Speaking on ARISE News’ Morning Show, the former justice minister emphasised that attempts to revisit the matter would undermine domestic and international law.
Aondoakaa, who played a key role in implementing the ICJ’s Bakassi Peninsula judgment through the Green Tree Agreement, confirmed that all aspects of the ruling, including territorial adjustments, were carried out under international supervision.
“The final stage, the Bakassi handover, was completed. The judgment was enforced to the letter,” he said. He noted that the ICJ’s decision stripped Cross River of its littoral status after ceding Bakassi to Cameroon, thereby nullifying its claim to offshore oil resources.
The legal expert pointed out that Nigeria’s Supreme Court had twice affirmed this position in rulings favouring Akwa Ibom.
He criticised recent efforts to revive the dispute, recalling that Cross River failed to defend its claims during critical National Boundary Commission meetings. “For five days in Calabar, boundary officials waited. No Cross River representative appeared,” he said, adding that Akwa Ibom had engaged constructively throughout the process.
Aondoakaa revealed that Akwa Ibom had previously extended goodwill by offering Cross River a monthly N250 million payment, which was accepted.
He stressed that Nigeria’s compliance with the ICJ ruling was monitored by global powers and warned that selectively disregarding judgments would damage the country’s international standing. “If we cherry-pick which judgments to obey, we lose credibility,” he stated, declaring the matter conclusively resolved.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
