The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Federal Government to stay action on an alleged plan to cede 17 disputed oil wells located at Akri and Mbede, to Imo State.

Rivers State had dragged the Imo State before the court over the disputed oil wells.

The apex court gave the order while ruling on an ex parte application brought before it by Emmanuel Ukala (SAN).

It made the order to prevent the alleged plan to cede the disputed wells to Imo State while the substantive suit instituted by the Rivers State Government is still pending before the court.

The court restrained the Attorney General of the Federation as well as his counterpart in Imo State from taking any action regarding the ownership of the wells in dispute until the court resolves the ownership issues surrounding them.

It also ordered that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the Office of the Accountant General be barred from approving, implementing, or giving effect in any manner to a letter from the RMAFC office with reference number RMC/O&G/47/1/264 of July 1, 2021, which canceled the equal sharing of proceeds from the seventeen oil wells between Rivers and Imo States.

The Supreme Court fixed September 21 for the hearing of the substantive suit before it.

Recall, the Attorney General of Rivers State had dragged the AGF and the Attorney General of Imo State, to the apex court asking the court for a “declaration that the boundary between Rivers State and Imo state, as delineated on Nigeria administrative map, 10, 11 and 12 editions and other maps bearing similar delineations are inaccurate, incorrect and do not represent the legitimate and lawful boundaries between Rivers and Imo State.