Bayelsa appeals ruling on disputed Soku oil wells

Bayelsa State government has appealed the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ceded the disputed Soku oil wells to Rivers State.

The Solicitor General of Bayelsa State, Preye Agada, who filed the appeal on behalf of the state government on Sunday, said “Bayelsa is seeking a stay of execution of the December 26, 2019 judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo on the matter.”

He said the court delivered the verdict without joining Bayelsa as a party in the suit.

The solicitor-general added: “in the motion on notice in the suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2019, that Bayelsa State was not served the processes in the suit before the lower court delivered the said judgment.”

According to him, the state government had also sought an order of the court to appeal the judgment as an interested party in the suit between Attorney General of Rivers State and the National Boundaries Commission.

He said: “We have written all relevant federal agencies to stay action on the enforcement of the judgment.

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“The agencies include the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Finance, the Accountant General of the Federation, the Chairman, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission, and the National Boundary Commission.

Agada said the disputed oil wells are in Oluasiri in Bayelsa State and not Soku Oil wells as claimed by Rivers, adding that Bayelsa had been receiving the 13 percent derivation and other statutory allocations accruing from the oil wells for a long time.

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