Ogun refutes Ondo’s claim over ownership of Eba Island oil well

The Ogun state government has refuted claims by Ondo state regarding the ownership of Eba Island, where an oil well is currently under investigation.

Allen Sowore, senior special assistant to Ondo governor on strategic communication, had issued a statement saying Oke-Agor-Isekun Island where an abandoned oil well was discovered, belongs to Ondo and not Ogun state.

He said the land shares boundaries with Ogun state, adding that both states have well-defined boundaries.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Jide Onakoya, special adviser to Ogun state governor on energy, said the claim was “misleading” and contrary to established historical, traditional, and legal evidence.

Onakoya said the boundary delineations between local and state governments are based on markers recognised by the national boundary commission.

He added that a “thorough examination” of relevant maps affirms that Eba Island lies within Ogun waterside.

“It is Indisputable that the oil well currently under investigation is located in Eba Island, which falls within Ogun Waterside in Ogun State,” he said.

Onakoya cautioned against any attempt to stir communal tensions between the Ijebu and Ilaje people, who have historically coexisted peacefully.

He said Irokun has been an Ijebu settlement since the colonial era, transitioning through the western region to Ogun state.

Onakoua reaffirmed the Ogun’s commitment to maintaining peace and urged stakeholders to “respect legal boundaries to avoid unnecessary conflict”.