Shell should be held responsible for oil spills in Nigeria, says community leader before UK trial
Shell must take responsibility for the environmental damage caused in Nigeria by oil spills. A community leader made this statement on Thursday, as a crucial hearing in suits brought against Shell began at London's High Court.
Godwin Bebe OKpabi, the leader of the Ogale Community in the Niger Delta said that he appealed to Shell to rectify the damage which, he claimed, had "destroyed [our] way of life".
Shell and its Nigerian affiliate SPDC are being sued by thousands of Ogale and Bille residents over oil spills that occurred in the Niger Delta. This region is plagued with pollution, conflict, and corruption related to oil and gas.
Oil spills over the past decades have caused extensive environmental damage. This has affected the health and livelihood of local communities as well as destroyed their livelihood.
Shell says that the vast majority spills are caused by third party interference such as pipeline theft and sabotage, which is common in the Niger Delta.
Shell's spokesperson stated that the lawsuit "does not address the real issue in the Niger Delta, which is oil spills caused by theft, illegal refining, and sabotage". These are the causes of the greatest environmental damage.
Shell's attorneys said in court documents that SPDC acknowledges its obligation to compensate those who have been harmed by an oil spill, even if SPDC was not at fault. However, this obligation does not apply where SPDC has already done so and where spills are caused by "malicious acts of third parties".
Okpabi, however, said that Shell made billions in Nigeria (which he called "blood-money") and that it had a responsibility to prevent oil spills and clean them up.
He said, "As I speak, people in Ogale are dying." It is sad that Shell wants to put us through this expensive and troublesome trial, all because of a technicality.
He spoke outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, before a four-week trial to determine Nigerian law issues and whether SPDC is liable for oil spills that are caused by third parties. The next trial will be in 2026.
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has already heard the case in parts, some of which started nearly a decade before. In 2021, the court ruled that it should be heard by English courts.
This is the latest instance of a multinational being sued in London over the actions of its overseas subsidiaries. It follows a landmark ruling from 2019 in another case. (Reporting and editing by Susan Fenton; Additional reporting by Marissa Davison, Vitalii Yalahuzian and Marissa Davison)
(source: Reuters)
