Over 11,000 Nigerians affected by oil spills in the delta of the Niger River have filed a claim for compensation from UK oil giant Shell in the High Court of Justice in London, the Leigh Day law firm representing the interests of the plaintiffs said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2023) Over 11,000 Nigerians affected by oil spills in the delta of the Niger River have filed a claim for compensation from UK oil giant Shell in the High Court of Justice in London, the Leigh Day law firm representing the interests of the plaintiffs said on Thursday.
"The legal case against Shell on behalf of the Bille and Ogale communities from the Niger Delta has taken a significant step forward following the filing at the High Court in London of the Ogale group claim register. The group claims register confirms that 11,317 people and 17 institutions (including churches and schools) from Ogale are seeking compensation for loss of livelihoods and damage against the oil giant," the firm said.
The present claim is complementary to 2,335 individual claims filed by residents of the Ogale community in 2015. Thus, the total number of people seeking compensation from Shell has reached 13,000. The claims are expected to be heard in 2022. They have become the last in a series of lawsuits against Shell seeking to "leave the Niger Delta free of any legal obligation to address the environmental devastation" and can create a precedent of international oil companies' responsibility for ongoing environment pollution, Leigh Day added.
Oil spills caused by Shell destroyed fish ponds and agricultural lands of Nigeria's rural communities between 2004 and 2007, the Federal Supreme Court of Nigeria said in its verdict. In 2019, members of the communities filed a lawsuit against Shell in the Court of Appeal in The Hague. They demanded compensation for damage to health and land. However, the court ruled in 2021 that Shell and its subsidiary SPDC were not responsible for the spills. Since then, public pressure on the oil company has only increased. Dutch environmental organization Milieudefensie has decided to represent the interests of Nigerian communities in court.
In late December 2022, SPDC said it would pay 15 million euros ($16.5 million) in compensation to three Nigerian communities affected by the oil spills between 2004 and 2007.
