Akure — Dissatisfied with the ruling of the Federal High Court which ceded the 260 oil wells hitherto credited to Ondo State to Delta State, residents of oil-producing communities of Ondo State have signified their intention to be joined in the appeal already filed by the state government.

The oil wells located near the coastal boundaries of the two states have been subjects of controversy between the Yoruba-speaking Ilaje people of Ondo State and the Itsekiris of Delta State.

The matter was four years ago decided in favour of Ondo State by the federal government through the National Boundary Commission (NBC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) .

Not satisfied with the decision of the federal government, which increased the oil derivation fund accruable to Ondo State, Delta State approached the Federal High Court Benin which two weeks ago ruled in its favour.

Addressing journalists at the weekend, Chief Adewale Omojuwa, Chairman of the Ondo State Oil-Producing Development Commission (OSOPADEC), the agency responsible for disbursing 40 percent of the derivation fund for developing the state oil areas, said arrangements have been concluded to get the services of reputable lawyers to canvass the communities' position.

According to Omojuwa, "we have been on this dispute for ages and we have always maintained our position, supported by solid historical facts, that the lands in question belong to the Ilaje people and even historians on the side of the Itsekiris have propounded that same theory that they are sojourning in Ilaje land."

While Omojuwa preferred a legal solution to the dispute, one of the community leaders, Otunba Mallon Omogbemi urged the Ondo State government to discountenance the judgment as "the court has no power to dabble into a political issue that had been resolved by the Federal Government."

Omogbemi who spoke in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje local council, in company of protesting residents of the areas during a peaceful demonstration over the matter, said if the issue is not handled properly, communal crisis in the colouration of the internecine clash between the Ijaw and Ilaje may erupt in the area.