Ogun, Ondo in fresh battle over ownership of oil-rich island

Monday, February 2, 2026 - Tensions have escalated between Ogun and Ondo states over the ownership of Eba Island, an oil-rich territory in the South-West, following President Bola Tinubu’s approval of drilling activities at an abandoned oil well on the island.

The Ogun State Government reaffirmed its territorial claim over Eba Island, located in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, dismissing Ondo State’s competing assertions as misleading and potentially inflammatory.

 In a statement on Sunday, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the island falls squarely within Ogun State based on historical, legal, and administrative records.

Tensions have flared between Ogun and Ondo states over Eba Island, a coastal territory in the South-West, recently identified as hosting hydrocarbon resources.

Ogun described recent claims by Ondo State as misleading and capable of provoking avoidable communal tension.

Akinmade said, “The Eba Island, where the approved oil well is located, falls squarely within Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State. Boundaries between states and local governments in Nigeria are constitutionally defined and properly documented by the National Boundary Commission. Official boundary maps and records clearly situate Eba Island within Ogun State.”

According to Akinmade, Eba is a long-established community within Ogun Waterside, whose status predates Nigeria’s independence and has remained unchanged through successive political and administrative reorganisations, including the 1976 state creation exercise that carved Ogun State out of the former Western State.

“Since 1976, there has been no constitutional amendment, judicial pronouncement or federal gazette that altered the boundary placing Eba outside Ogun State,” he said.

He clarified that there are two distinct locations known as “Eba”: one near the Ondo State forest reserve and the larger Eba Island, where the President approved drilling, which lies entirely within Ogun State’s coastal corridor.

Akinmade noted that the federal approval followed extensive due diligence by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other federal agencies, which confirmed the well’s location within Ogun State before clearance was granted.

“The deployment of national security assets, including naval formations around the drilling site, further demonstrates federal recognition of Ogun State as the host state,” he said.

Providing historical context, Ogun State said that in October 2024, the Molokun of Atijere in Ondo State formally approached the Osobia of Makun-Omi in Ogun Waterside, seeking permission to conduct business activities on Eba Island.

The request was declined and reported to Ogun State, NNPCL, and security agencies.

“This engagement amounted to a tacit acknowledgement of Ogun State’s jurisdiction over the area,” the statement said.

Ogun State also rejected claims based on colonial documents from 1919 and 1920 as misleading, pointing instead to Colonial Government Gazette No. 660 of April 29, 1950, which clearly defined the boundary between the former Ijebu and Ondo provinces. The government cited lease agreements, historical community records, and survey documents—including the Olokola Free Trade Zone Survey Plan—as further proof that Eba Island is part of Ogun State. Administrative validation by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which registers the polling unit at LA Primary School, Eba, under Makun/Irokun Ward in Ogun Waterside, was also highlighted.

While cautioning against misinformation, Ogun State called for restraint and responsible engagement.

“The facts are clear, and the law is settled. Eba Island, where the approved oil well is located, is in Ogun State,” the statement concluded.

However, Ondo State rejected Ogun’s claim, insisting that the island belongs to Atijere in Ilaje Local Government Area.

 In a statement on Sunday, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Allen Sowore, accused Ogun of issuing misleading public statements and media briefings.

“It must be clearly stated that mineral resources, including oil wells, are assets of the Federal Government, domiciled within different states of the Federation. This position is firmly grounded in Item 39 of the Second Schedule (Part I) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which places oil fields and oil mining on the Exclusive Legislative List,” Sowore said.

He emphasised that while host states and communities are recognised, territorial claims must be established by historical records, documentary evidence, and statutory or judicial determination.

“Ownership of land or territorial location of petroleum resources is not established by press statements or shifting public narratives. Rather, such matters are determined by empirical facts, historical records, documentary evidence, established administrative practice, and, where necessary, judicial or statutory determinations. In this case, the oil deposit in question is situated in Atijere, Ondo State.”

Sowore reiterated that the landowners in the area are Ilaje indigenes, and that the village has existed since at least 1937.

“Eba Island has historically fallen under the Atijere Native Court Authority. River Ufara, which runs through Imakun into Oluwa River, serves as a natural demarcating feature/boundary between Ilaje land and Ijebu land. Ogun and Ondo States are distinct entities with clearly defined administrative and historical boundaries and a long record of cordial relations. Recent attempts to misrepresent facts regarding an oil deposit situated within Ondo State—even to federal authorities—are unacceptable.”

The Ondo government called on the National Boundary Commission and relevant federal agencies to release authoritative records to resolve the boundary controversy.