The current experience of international oil giant Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) can be likened to the Yoruba proverbial words which says ” oku te sin, ese e yo sita” meaning the corpse you buried, the legs have been exposed.

Since the 90’s, Shell has been at the receiving end of accusations and counter accusations as it relates to the environmental pollution and degradation in the Niger delta area of Nigeria especially Ogoni land. As expected Shell has continuously denied these claims each time new evidence is presented to reassert that the firm is negligent in business in the region but it seems this won’t go anytime soon.

Amnesty International, the human right organisation that has been at the forefront of protests that Shell be prosecuted or at least fined by the United Nations as it relates to environmental degradation and killings in Ogoni land has not let up, calling on Nigeria’s government to investigate and confirm its anecdotal evidence.  However until a court of law, local or international affirms Shell’s complicity in the environment degradation of the region, they will remain just that, allegations. There are known facts that are existing in the public domain.

It’s another fact that Shell was seriously accused of having a hand in the killing of the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists in  1995. Apparently it denied complicity in this killings but it’s action subsequently proved otherwise.

According to Wikipedia, In 1996, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), EarthRights International (ERI), Paul Hoffman of Schonbrun, DeSimone, Seplow, Harris & Hoffman and other human rights attorneys  brought a series of cases to hold Shell accountable for alleged human rights violations in Nigeria, including summary execution, crimes against humanity, torture, inhumane treatment and arbitrary arrest and detention. The lawsuits are brought against Royal Dutch Shell and Brian Anderson, the head of its Nigerian operation.

The cases were brought under the Alien Tort Statute, a 1978 statute giving non-US citizens the right to file suits in US courts for international human rights violations, and the Torture Victim Protection Act, which allows individuals to seek damages in the US for torture or extrajudicial killing, regardless of where the violations take place.

The court later fixed the case for June 2009, on 9th June 2009 Shell agreed to an out-of-court settlement of US$15.5 million to victims’ families stating that the payment was part of a reconciliation process. What Shell means by the reconciliation process is unknown as they’ve initially denied playing a role in the killing of the Ogoni 9.

The latest report by Amnesty International shows that Shell still has a case to answer and it will be in the interest of Justice for the Nigerian government to take another look at this report on the injustice against Nigerians by foreigners.

Editor