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Court says Shell can be sued for oil spills from many years ago.
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Victims from Rivers State win key ruling to continue claims.
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Judge says failure to clean up pollution breaks the law daily
A UK High Court has ruled that Shell plc and its former Nigerian subsidiary can be held responsible for oil spills that happened many years ago in Rivers State, Nigeria.
The case was brought by the Bille and Ogale communities in the Niger Delta. They have been in a legal battle with Shell since 2015, claiming that oil from the company’s operations polluted their lands, rivers, and water sources. The pollution made it hard for them to farm and fish, which are their main sources of income.
The court said Shell tried to stop the case by using technical legal arguments. But the judge dismissed those arguments, saying Shell may still be liable because it did not properly clean up the spills. According to the ruling, each day the pollution remains, Shell could be breaking the law.
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Shell had argued that claims couldn’t be made if the spills happened more than five years ago. But the judge ruled that this does not apply if the pollution is still affecting the land and water. The ruling means the communities can continue to seek justice for long-standing damage.
The court also said oil pollution might violate the right to life under the Nigerian Constitution. However, the judge left this part for Nigerian courts to decide.
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The leader of Ogale, King Bebe Okpabi, welcomed the ruling. He said it’s been ten years of legal delays and now hopes Shell will come forward and solve the issue. “People in Ogale are dying. Shell needs to bring a remedy,” he said.
Lawyers for the communities said the full trial will now take place in 2027. They accused Shell of delaying justice and called on the company to clean up the pollution and pay compensation.
