The Ondo State Government has refuted claims by the Nigerian Navy that the Oke-Agor-Isekun Island, where naval personnel recently thwarted an attempt by oil thieves, is within Ogun State, asserting that the area has always belonged to Ondo.

In a statement on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Strategic Communication, Mr Allen Sowore, insisted that Oke-Agor-Isekun Island has been part of Ondo State since time immemorial.

He acknowledged that the land shares boundaries with Ogun State, but stressed that the two states have well-defined territorial limits.

The Nigerian Navy had recently reported that it foiled an attempt to exploit an abandoned oil well at Oke-Agor-Isekun, which it claimed was within Ogun State.

The military described the location as a known hotspot for criminal activities, situated approximately five kilometres from the Ondo State boundary.

However, Sowore countered this assertion, stating that the report appeared to misrepresent the true location of the oil well for undisclosed reasons.

He maintained that Ondo and Ogun States have long enjoyed cordial relations built on mutual understanding and shared values.

According to Sowore, “For the record, the oil well in question is located on Eba Island, which has historically been part of Ilaje/Mahin Country in the defunct Lagos Colony under Governor John Hawley Glover before the 1914 Amalgamation.

“Following the amalgamation, it became part of the old Ondo Province, specifically the Okitipupa Division, and was designated as a Forestry Reserve of Ondo Province under the Atijere Native Authority.

“Subsequently, Eba Island was incorporated into the Ilaje District Council, with Atijere as its headquarters around 1950. When the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Local Government Area was created in 1975, the island remained under its jurisdiction.

“In 1997, when Ese-Odo was separated into a distinct local government, Eba Island continued to be an integral part of Ilaje Local Government, where it remains to this day—still designated as an Ondo State Forestry Reserve.

“The communities surrounding the oil well—Ago Alaja, Balogun Bode, and Fasuyi—have always been cluster villages of the Atijere community.

“In fact, successive village heads of Balogun Bode and Fasuyi, including the current Baale, Chief Segun Fasuyi, have been installed by the Ondo State Government. Moreover, all inhabitants of these villages are indigenes of Ondo State.

“Under item 39 of the Second Schedule (Part 1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and other relevant governing laws, oil fields and oil mining fall under the Exclusive Legislative List of the Federation.

“As such, oil wells are assets of the Federation. However, their locations, including the host communities and states, must be clearly defined. In this case, the well is situated in the Atijere community, Ondo State.”

The state government, Sowore noted, has urged officers of the Nigerian Navy Forward Base in Igbokoda, along with local security outfits, to work with their counterparts in Ogun State to conduct joint patrols and prevent criminal elements from accessing the facility.

He further called on the National Boundary Commission and other relevant federal agencies to provide the necessary documentary evidence to clarify the true location of the oil well and put an end to the controversy.

“The Ondo State Government assures the Federal Government of maximum protection of the asset and full cooperation in establishing the true location/host community of the facility,” he stated.