Emmanuel Addeh and Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, has delivered a landmark ruling reaffirming Halkin Exploration and Production Limited as the rightful owner and operator of the Atala Marginal Oil Field (OML 46), bringing an end to a prolonged legal dispute over its ownership.
In his judgment, Honourable Justice Ayo Emmanuel dismissed a suit filed by Bayelsa Oil Company Limited (BOCL), ruling that the case was statute-barred and that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to challenge the re-award of OML 46 to Halkin Exploration.