Nigeria spill case against Shell to be heard in English courts
Case revolves around 40,000 people affected by oil pollution in the Niger Delta
Image: siam.pukkato / Shutterstock
The Supreme Court has ruled a case brought on behalf of 40,000 citizens in the Niger Delta against Shell for alleged environmental degradation in the area can be heard in English courts.
The ruling overturned a prior decision of the Court of Appeal against two Nigerian communities who brought legal claims and compensation for oil pollution in the Niger Delta.
The claims against Shell and its subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), were brought in 2016.
12 February 2021, 12:10 UTC
The UK Supreme Court has today ruled in favour of two Niger Delta communities who are seeking justice for environmental damage caused by Shell (Okpabi et al vs Royal Dutch Shell et al).
The Court found that the Ogale and Bille communities can bring their legal claims for clean-up and compensation against Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS) and its Nigerian subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
The ruling sets an important precedent for holding other multinationals to account. Mark Dummett, Director of Amnesty International s Global Issues Programme, said:
“This landmark ruling could spell the end of a long chapter of impunity for Shell, and for other multinationals who commit human rights abuses overseas. Shell’s own records show the extent of the oil spills which continue to ravage the land of the Ogale and Bille communities, poisoning their water and destroying livelihoods.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has dismissed media reports that it uncovered a ‘missing 2 million barrels of crude’ in oil production records by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) between 2016 and 2018.
Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Friday that more than 40,000 people in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria can make pollution claims against Anglo-Dutch energy g