In a swift reaction to a publication by an online newspaper on September 3, 2022, where the purported letter by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), addressed to Obodougwa-Ogume community advising Energia Limited to recognise Obodougwa as host community, the people of Emu Ebendo have called on the company to disregard the advice and continue to conduct its relationship with communities in line with Supreme Court judgement.
They saw the letter as Obodougwa further efforts to frustrate the execution of the judgment and assured the company that they would continue to maintain peace in the area.
According to Ebendo legal committee head, Mr. Benard Odagwe, the AGF does not have any authority to interpret the judgment of the Supreme Court let alone determining who is or not a host community in a state. He further stated that the AGF does not have any legal business on land matters as land in the country are held in trust by the state government.
He believed that the advice of the AGF was based on false and limited information given to him by Obodougwa people about the location of the oil companies.
He pointed out that the area litigated on from the High Court to Supreme Court was the Iyechi and Oluji farm land where Elf Nigeria Limited oil field is located.
He recalled that the dispute came because Obodougwa met the company on arrival and claimed ownership of the two farm land and the strength ot that the company paid them a homage of N15,000 to secure a Freedom to Operate.
“After Ebendo won the two farm land in court, Obodougwa was ordered to return the N150,000 erroneously paid to them by Elf Nigeria Ltd. to the rightful owner of the land Emu Ebendo. “(Ii) Recovery of the the sum of N150,000 erroneously paid to the defendants by Elf Nigeria Limited”. This is the second order by the High Court Judgement in Suit No. HCK/20/85 in 1992.
“The oil field operated then by Elf is the present oil field Energia Limited is operating in the same location, Oluji farm land. This is clear in the litigation map.
“If the Minister of Justice has the above information which is clear on the judgment and litigation map, there is no way he will be advising Energia to accord Obodougwa host community status,” Odagwe.
In a chat with the reporter, Mr. Azuka Onyenike, a key community leader in Umusam Ogbe community, he maintained that the location of Energia’s flowstation and oil Wells are in Oluji farm land all the way to the bandry with Umusam.
He further explained that Omi Owele farm land in Umusam share boundary with Oluji farm land where the present KGG facility operated by Xenergi is located.
According to him, the AGF letter does not have any vitality but rather a personal advice for the sake of peace which cannot be taken as an authority by Energia to act against the supreme Court Judgment and the litigation map. He said what Obodougwa is doing is nothing but further efforts to dig gold in any community where oil is found.
“If Energia is a law abiding company they will not rely on the mere opinion and advice of the AGF against the supreme Court judgment,” he said.