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The Lenuwa of Ode-Omi Kingdom, Oba Adekunle Hassan, Oshotekun II, and the people of Ode-Omi, Ogun Waterside Local Government, Ogun State, have petitioned Geoplex Drillteq over the ownership of Eba Island in the community.
The petition, dated May 4, 2026, was addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Geoplex, Wole Ogunsanya and copied to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) through its corporate/zonal office.
The petitioners cautioned the company against “transacting with, according recognition, legitimacy or host community status to any individual or group from Makun-Omi in relation to Eba Ebute Olokun and Eba Alaja (Eba Island).”
They argued that doing so would amount to “a distortion of historical facts and could unnecessarily generate avoidable disputes within the area.”
According to the petition, “Eba Ebute Olokun and Eba Alaja (Eba Island) are not within Makun-Omi Kingdom. Makun-Omi has no historical, geographical or customary custodianship over Eba Ebute Olokun and Eba Alaja (Eba Island). The crude oil exploration site is within the territorial jurisdiction of the Lenuwa of Ode-Omi Kingdom.”
The community insisted that adequate engagement, recognition and compensation should be accorded to Ode-Omi as the bona fide host community for any oil exploration activities on Eba Island, saying it is the community whose land, waterways and environment would bear the direct impact of such operations.
According to the petitioners, “The inevitable environmental degradation, pollution of aquatic resources, destruction of livelihoods and other socio-economic consequences arising from oil exploration will primarily affect the people of Ode-Omi, whose ancestral land and ecosystem stand to suffer the immediate and long-term adverse effects of the activities.”
They added that it was in the interest of equity, environmental justice and compliance with extant petroleum laws that Ode-Omi be duly recognised and adequately compensated as the actual host community.
The petitioners further demanded that, within 14 days of receiving the letter, Geoplex Drillteq Ltd should recognise and relate only with Ode-Omi Kingdom and the Lenuwa of Ode-Omi as the legitimate host community and prescribed traditional authority over Eba Ebute Olokun, Eba Alaja (Eba Island) and other Eba settlements.
They also urged the company to take cognisance of the House of Representatives’ investigation into the ownership and territorial status of Eba Island, in which they made representations.
Giving the historical background of Eba Island in the petition titled, “Re: Ownership and Host Community Status of Eba Ebute Olokun and Eba Alaja (Eba Island), Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, Ogun State,” Biobaku said the correspondence became necessary because of what he described as misleading claims regarding the ownership and host community status of the island.
According to him, Eba Ebute Olokun and Eba Alaja are historically, geographically, legally and customarily part of Ode-Omi Kingdom under the prescribed authority of the Lenuwa of Ode-Omi.
He said the settlements had always been occupied and controlled by families and ruling houses originating from Ode-Omi, including the Ojafoyewa, Ojagbuwa, Osotekun and Talakaye Dosunmu families.
Biobaku further stated that successive Lenuwas of Ode-Omi had exercised traditional authority over the Eba communities by installing Baales, adding that the Committee on Prescribed Authority in Ijebuland (2013–2017) also affirmed the authority of the Lenuwa of Ode-Omi over the settlements.
He also cited survey plans, colonial administrative records and other historical documents, which he claimed confirmed that Eba Island falls within the coastal territory of Ode-Omi Kingdom.
The lawyer further alleged that the Ogun State Government recognised Ode-Omi as the host community during the Olokola Free Trade Zone project, while a panel constituted by the late Awujale of Ijebuland also affirmed the authority of the Lenuwa over the area.
He alleged that some persons from Makun-Omi were attempting to lay claim to Eba Island and planned to sell portions of land belonging to his clients.
Biobaku also argued that when the first Oba of Makun-Omi was installed in 2002, the officially listed communities under the kingdom did not include any Eba settlement.
He maintained that Makun-Omi had never exercised ownership, traditional authority, administrative control or possessory rights over Eba Ebute Olokun, Eba Alaja or any Eba settlement.
According to him, geographical features also support Ode-Omi’s claim, noting that Eba Island lies along the coastal corridor, while access from Makun-Omi requires crossing rivers and lagoons, indicating there is no contiguous territorial linkage.
The petition also described a January 24, 2026 statement referring to Makun-Omi as the host community as “factually inaccurate and capable of creating communal tension, misleading government institutions and investors, and disrupting peaceful oil operations.”
Biobaku said the people of Ode-Omi remained law-abiding citizens committed to supporting the Federal and Ogun State governments’ vision for peaceful oil exploration and production.
He, however, stressed that peace must be anchored on truth, historical accuracy and respect for lawful custodianship.
“We urge that dialogue and due diligence be prioritised over public misrepresentation. This project is historic for Ogun State and Nigeria and should not be tainted by avoidable territorial controversy,” he said.
