FRI. 23 DEC, 2022-theGBJournal| Shell said today it will be US$15.9 million as compensation to Nigerian farmers and fishermen in the Niger Delta, following a settlement reached with the Dutch environmental group Milieudefensie, a division of the Friends of the Earth.
The environmental group helped to bring the case against the headquarters of Shell in the Hague in 2008 on behalf four Nigeria farmers- Barizah Dooh, Chief Oguru, Elder Friday and Alali Efangha- all of who have since died.
Donald Pols, Milieudefensie Director said the settlement will allow the plaintiffs and their communities to finally get on with their lives. That is the most important outcome of today.
He added, ”If we look at the court case as a whole, the major gain is that a new standard has been set. Companies will no longer be able to get away with pollution and with ignoring human rights. Now they can be called to account.”
A Dutch Appeal Court ruled in 2022, that Shell’s subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was responsible for the oil spills and was ordered to pay the compensation for damages.
Eric Dooh, a plaintiff in the case said, ”thanks to the compensation we can build up our community once again. We can start to reinvest in our living environment, and it is a great relief to all of us that after years of legal battle with Shell, we will soon be recipients of this money as compensation for all we have lost.
The oil spills affected Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo between 2004 and 2007. These communities are expected to be the beneficiaries of the compensation.
Shell said ”the settlement is not an admission of liability basis, and settles all claims and ends all pending litigation related to the spills.”
Milieudefensie described the compensation deal as ”unprecedented,” noting that ”for the first time in history a corporate headquarters has been held responsible for the actions of their subsidiary in another country.
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