Uche Cecil Izuora
About 4000 members of two local communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta have been cleared to take British multinational oil and gas giant Shell to the high court in UK over charges of environmental pollution.
This will cap a decade-long fight for justice for the Niger Delta residents adversely affected by Shell’s exploitation of oil resources in their communities.
The Preliminary Issues Trial of Nigerian Law for Shell vs Ogale and Bille communities is set to take place at the UK High Court from 13 February to 10 March 2025.
The two communities are claiming that their livelihoods had been destroyed and homes damaged by hundreds of oil spills which they are blaming on Shell’s work-for-profit engagements in the area.
Pollution caused widespread devastation to the local environment, killing fish and plant life and left thousands of people without access to clean drinking water.
The two communities are being represented by Leigh Day during the preliminary issues trial which aims to address a number of Nigerian private and constitutional law questions, with a view to confirming the legal framework to be applied to the subsequent trial.
Although the aggrieved communities brought their claims in the UK courts, Shell had allegedly repeatedly delayed the case arguing it had no legal responsibility for any of the pollution.
The delay has had a devastating effect on people’s lives, said Amnesty International in a statement on Monday.
Isa Sanusi, Al’s Country Director for Nigeria, said ”Oil companies, particularly Shell, exposed them to multiple oil spills that have done permanent damage to farmlands, waterways, and drinking water – leaving them unable to farm or fish”.
Sanusi said even babies were seriously deformed thanks to water contamination and other impacts which deprived the communities of a good standard of living, according to APAnews.
The UK Court of Appeal in October last year heard the Shell Nigeria oil spill appeal and ruled in favour of Nigerian communities over alleged pollution by the oil giant.
On 6 December 2024, a full trial of the claims against Shell was given the green light to proceed.
”They deserve justice and effective remediation, and I hope this long-overdue trial goes someway to providing it” the AI Nigeria Country Director said.
Amnesty International which has been documenting the detrimental impact of Shell’s operations on the Niger Delta is urging the company to conduct meaningful consultation with affected communities about its plans for disengagement.
”Shell must also provide a full remediation plan including details of all completed and ongoing clean-ups across its areas of operation, as well as adequate compensation for the severe and sustained harm affected communities have faced as a result of Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta” the rights group said.