(3 Minutes Read)
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
Oil major Shell is facing accusations in Nigeria of being responsible for oil pollution depriving thousands of accesses to clean water, and devastated agriculture and fishing. The contention is 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.
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.
Shell counters this by arguing that pollution resulted from criminal activities, including pipeline sabotage, oil theft, and illegal refining, thereby maintaining that the company is not accountable for pollution caused by third parties. It further says that 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 argued 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 contended 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.
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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.
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