The Federal Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt has upheld a 2025 ruling by the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, cementing Halkin Exploration and Production Limited’s standing as the legal owner and operator of the Atala Marginal Oil Field, designated OML 46, in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region.
A three-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Sirajo, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed an appeal brought by Bayelsa Oil Company Limited, describing it as unmeritorious. Justices I.M. Sanni and Elejo Eneche sat alongside Justice Sirajo on the panel.
The court awarded costs of N1 million against the appellant and in favour of the four defendants named in the suit.
The ruling brings to a close, at least for now, a protracted legal dispute over control of the marginal field. Bayelsa Oil Company had gone to court to contest the re-awarding of OML 46 to Halkin E&P, but Justice Ayo Emmanuel of
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