A fresh push for Shell to take responsibility for the massive oil spillage that has destroyed the means of livelihood in many communities in the Niger Delta area due to decades of operations, will commence when lawyers for both sides file out in a UK court on February 13.
The oil giant, one of the earliest entrants into the Nigerian oil industry, with operations lasting for decades is not new to such legal battles as a result of the discontent of the oil-bearing communities, one of them being the crisis between the company and the Ogoni people of Rivers, leading to the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni agitators.
This time, the battle is coming from Ogale and Bille, two communities in Rivers State, who are complaining of massive oil pollution in their land, and insisting that Shell, must take responsibility for the environmental devastation.
The development is coming with the preliminary in the matter against Shell Plc, a British multinational oil and gas giant headquartered in London, England, and Nigeria’s oldest energy company, where is set to run until March 10, to determine key legal questions.
The communities are insisting in the main trial that Shell’s operations caused widespread environmental destruction, leaving thousands of people without access to clean drinking water and destroying their livelihoods.
Amnesty International, which is fully involved in the matter, in a statement on Monday titled, Nigerian residents take Shell to UK High Court following 10-year fight for justice, said: “The Bille and Ogale communities have lived with the devastating impact of oil pollution for years.”
Signed by Isa Sanusi, Country Director for Nigeria, it added: “Oil companies, particularly Shell, exposed them to multiple spills that have done permanent damage to farmlands, waterways, and drinking water—leaving them unable to farm or fish.”
The legal action, led by UK law firm Leigh Day, coming after years of delays in which Shell’s argument that it was not legally responsible for the pollution, was thrown out on December 6, 2024, with the Appeal Court in the UK ruling that the matter could proceed.
“Water contamination and other impacts affect even babies, who in some cases are born with deformities. These communities deserve justice and effective remediation, and I hope this long-overdue trial goes some way to providing it.”
While the calling on Shell to take full responsibility, the organisation, which has spent over 20 years documenting the environmental and human rights impact of its operations in the Niger Delta, also urged the multinational to engage with affected communities and provide a comprehensive remediation plan, including details of ongoing clean-up efforts and compensation for those impacted.
* Media Report