The Supreme Court has restrained the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Imo State Attorney General and Revenue Mobilisation Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) from taking any further actions in awarding oil revenues from Akri and Mgbede Oil wells in Oguta and Ohaji/Egbema Local government areas of Imo State.
Imo state government had last week said it had recovered 43 oil wells from Rivers making it the 4th largest oil producer in the country following resolution of a boundary dispute between it and Rivers over the ownership of the Akri and Mgbede oil wells.
But the Supreme Court in a sitting on Wednesday granted the order contained in an ex-parte motion filed by Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) for the Attorney General of Rivers State.
The court specifically made an interim order restraining the first and second defendants (AGF and Imo AG) and their agents, including the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) from giving effect to the letter from the office of the Chairman of RMAFC, with Reference Number RMC/O&G/47/1/264 dated July 1, 2021, directing a departure from the current 50/50 sharing formula applied to Rivers and Imo state in respect of revenue accrued, accruing or derived from the Akri and Mgbede Oil Wells/Fields, subject matter of this suit and in its place, directing deductions to be made from the revenue accruing from the said oil wells to Rivers State and in favour of Imo State.
The order, according to court documents is to subsist pending the determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction filed on June 16 this year by the plaintiff in a pending suit filed by Rivers State.
In the substantive suit marked: SC/CV/1037/2020, with the AGF and Imo AG as defendants, Rivers State is contesting Imo State’s claim to some communities in its territory housing many oil wells.
