Shell in nigeria

Two Nigerian communities can bring their legal claims for a cleanup and for compensation against the oil company Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary in an English court, supreme court judges have said. In what lawyers said was a “watershed moment” for the accountability of multinational companies, on Friday the court overturned a decision by the court of appeal, and ruled that the cases against Shell could proceed. The judges said the court of appeal was wrong when it said the company was not responsible for the harm caused by oil extraction in the Niger delta, because it was merely a holding company for Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC). It had also erred, the judges said, when it carried out a mini-trial of the facts before the disclosure of relevant documents. “There are real issues to be tried,” the supreme court said. The law firm Leigh Day, which represents the communities, successfully argued that Shell, one of the world’s 10 largest corporations by … [Read more...] about Nigerians can bring claims against Shell in UK, supreme court rules

A group of Nigerian farmers and fishermen can sue Royal Dutch Shell PLC in English courts over pollution from decades of oil spills, Britain's highest court ruled on Friday. Five justices on the UK's Supreme Court said the Anglo-Dutch firm may owe a "duty of care'' to the claimants over the actions of its Nigerian subsidiary. Shell had argued that it was not responsible. Friday's ruling overturns a 2017 decision against the Ogale and Bille communities of Nigeria's Niger Delta, who brought legal claims for compensation and clean-up costs following decades of repeated spills in the oil-rich region. Justice 'unlikely in Nigeria' The claimants argued that they could not expect justice in a Nigerian court and that the case against Shell and its subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), should be heard in London. The claimants allege their lives and health have suffered because repeated oil spills have contaminated the land, swamps, groundwater and … [Read more...] about UK court: Nigerian farmers can sue Shell over pollution

A group of tens of thousands of Nigerian farmers and fishermen will be allowed to sue oil giant Shell in English courts after years of oil spills in the Niger Delta. Around 50,000 people live in the Ogale and Bille communities of Nigeria and allege they have suffered systematic oil pollution for years which has impacted their drinking water supply and destroyed livelihoods. The communities wanted to bring forward the case against the British-Dutch company in English courts because they believe they will not be able to get justice in Nigeria. The UK Supreme Court has now ruled there is an arguable case that Royal Dutch Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary are legally responsible for the pollution and that it can be brought in front of an English court. A Shell spokesperson has called the decision "disappointing" and said sabotages are the "main sources" of pollution in the Niger Delta. Advertisement Shell did not dispute that both communities have been … [Read more...] about Nigerian communities allowed to sue Shell in English courts over oil spills after years-long fight

In the opening minutes of The Milkmaid, the joyous occasion of a wedding in a west African village turns into something unimaginable as terrorists attack. People try to flee, some are shot down, some slaughtered with machetes; a baby stares out over a mother's lifeless body. This film is the story of the women who escape these attacks with their lives, but pay the price. Taken from their homes, their loved ones, they face beatings, rapes, death, even indoctrination into a life of extremism themselves. While The Milkmaid's central characters, sisters Aisha (Anthonieta Kalunta ) and Zainab (Maryam Booth), are fictional, their stories are all too real. Since the uprising of the Boko Haram militant group began in northern Nigeria in 2009, more than 30,000 people have been killed and about two million forced to flee their homes. Advertisement In December, the jihadist group purported to be behind the kidnapping of 300 young boys in an armed attack … [Read more...] about Detained and beaten: Why crew risked their lives to make film about insurgency victims in Nigeria

Pupils kidnapped from a boarding school in Nigeria alongside members of their family and teachers have been released, an official has confirmed. All 42 people, including 27 teenage boys, 12 of their relatives and three staff members were freed on Saturday by gunmen who had been holding them hostage since 17 February. Niger state governor Abubakar Sani Bello tweeted to say they had "regained their freedom and been received by the Niger state government". After their release, boys were seen by a witness walking with armed security through a village, some struggling to stand and asking for water. A government official said the boys were aged between 15 and 18. Advertisement It comes a day after a separate kidnapping in Zamfara state where 317 students were taken from the Girls Science secondary school in Jangebe town. Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups, many of whom carry guns and ride motorcycles, are common across several of Nigeria's … [Read more...] about Nigeria: Gunmen release 27 teenage boys who were kidnapped from boarding school