Shell is in court today facing accusations of being responsible for oil pollution in Nigeria, which has deprived thousands of access to clean water and devastated agriculture and fishing.
Lawyers assert that numerous leaks and spills from Shell’s pipelines and infrastructure have severely harmed the environment in the Bille and Ogale communities of the Niger Delta.
In response, Shell contends that most of the pollution resulted from criminal activities, including pipeline sabotage, oil theft, and illegal refining.
The company maintains it is not accountable for pollution caused by third parties, but claims its regional subsidiary, SPDC, undertakes clean-up efforts for all spills, “regardless of the cause,” including those currently under legal examination.
Representatives for 13,000 local Nigerians argue that Shell and its subsidiary “failed to implement basic measures” to prevent oil theft and other activities that led to the spills, asserting that there has been “barely” any clean-up.
The law firm Leigh Day contends that the pollution violates individuals’ rights to a clean and healthy environment.
The initial trial, which begins today in the High Court in London, will determine whether Shell can be held accountable for pollution resulting from theft and illegal activities.
A full trial is scheduled for next year.
This case will also evaluate whether oil pollution by a private company constitutes a violation of a community’s fundamental human rights under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.
Leigh Day states that if the case is successful, it would mark the first instance of a UK multinational being found guilty of breaching human rights through environmental pollution.
Residents of Ogale and Bille have been advocating for a clean-up “to international standards” and seeking compensation since 2015, claiming that pollution has left them without clean water and unable to engage in farming and fishing.
Chief Bennett Okpoki, leader of the Bille community, expressed, “It has been a long, hard fight to get here, but we are happy to see Shell finally facing trial.”
