The UK High Court is set to begin hearings on February 13 in a pivotal legal battle between Shell and the Ogale and Bille communities from Rivers State, Nigeria. This case marks a critical moment in the decades-long struggle for corporate accountability regarding the environmental destruction caused by oil pollution in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
The trial, which will run until March 10, is a Preliminary Issues Trial of Nigerian Law. It aims to address fundamental legal questions ahead of a full trial that could determine whether Shell’s operations led to widespread environmental devastation. The affected communities argue that the company’s activities have contaminated their land, water, and air, leaving them without clean drinking water and destroying their livelihoods.
Shell, a British multinational oil and gas company based in London, is Nigeria’s oldest energy corporation. The Ogale and Bille communities have been living with the disastrous consequences of oil spills for years, causing irreversible damage to their farmlands, water sources, and fishing grounds, according to a statement released by Amnesty International.
Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s Country Director for Nigeria, highlighted the devastating impact of Shell’s actions on these communities, particularly the contamination of water supplies, which has even affected infants born with deformities.
Shell has consistently argued that it is not legally responsible for the pollution, but in December 2024, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the case could proceed.
Amnesty International, which has been documenting the environmental and human rights consequences of Shell’s operations in the region for over 20 years, is calling on the oil giant to take full responsibility for its actions. The organization also urges Shell to engage directly with the affected communities and offer a comprehensive plan for remediation, including details of ongoing clean-up efforts and compensation for those impacted.
This legal action, led by the UK law firm Leigh Day, follows years of delays and is expected to set an important global precedent for holding multinational corporations accountable for environmental damage caused by their operations in foreign countries.
As the trial approaches, it offers a critical opportunity for the Niger Delta communities to seek justice, while also sending a message to other multinational companies about their responsibilities in addressing environmental harm abroad.
