The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, Dr Kayode Ajulo, on Thursday disclosed that historical and archival documents have further justified that the controversial oil-rich Eba Island belongs to Ondo State and not Ogun State.

According to Ajulo, incontrovertible evidence from United Kingdom repositories indicated that the island has historically been an integral part of Ondo State territory.

While countering the recent assertions by the Ogun State Government regarding ownership of the island, the Attorney-General characterised the dispute over the oil-bearing island as “astonishing”, noting that official records and decades of uninterrupted administration had consistently recognised it as Ondo territory.

Ajulo emphasised that before the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria, Eba Island formed part of the Ilaje/Mahin country within the Lagos Colony, noting that in 1885, the Amapetu of Mahin signed a protection treaty with colonial authorities, formally bringing the Mahin Kingdom, including Atijere and Eba Island, under the aegis of the Lagos Colony.

The Attorney General maintained that generations of Ilaje indigenes have continuously lived, fished, farmed and worshipped on Eba Island without interruption, adding that they had never paid allegiance or royalties to any Ogun State authorities.

While calling for calm and dialogue, Ajulo, who emphasised that the matter should be resolved through constitutional mechanisms, cautioned against attempts to inflame tensions over the dispute.

He said, “Eba Island lies in the Atijere axis of Ilaje LGA on our shores, administered by our councils, protected in our forest reserves, and inhabited by our people. The oil deposit sits on land whose owners are Atijere indigenes who have never paid royalties or homage elsewhere.

“Claims to the contrary are built on sand, misleading narratives, confusion between ‘Eba’ and ‘Eba Island’, and a sudden hunger to join the league of oil-producing states.

“But truth cannot be rewritten for petrodollars. To attempt it is not only unjust; it is an affront to the federal principle that binds our dear nation.

“Ogun’s assertions risk inflaming communal tensions and eroding the peace we have long cherished along our shared coastline. Ondo State will defend its territorial integrity with every lawful weapon at our disposal – in the courts, before the boundary commission, and in the court of public opinion.

“We call for calm, for dialogue, and for constitutional resolution. But let there be no illusion, no shadow of doubt: Eba Island is Ondo State’s, yesterday, today, and forever.

“The oil beneath its soil is a divine endowment for the people of Ilaje and the entire Sunshine State. We shall ensure it translates into development, prosperity, and a lasting legacy for our children yet unborn.”