- Shell to pay £95 million for oil spills in Nigeria
- Shell agreed to pay South-South communities for oil spills in the ’70s
Shell Petroleum on Wednesday in an Abuja High Court has agreed to pay $95 million to communities in the South-South that were ravaged by oil spills in the ’70s. For more than 20 years, the environmental group Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) had accused Shell of environmental degradation. Shell has been dragged through several legal battles on the issue of environmental degradation.
In a statement issued by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), the energy giant says it is fully satisfied with the judgement. “The order to pay ₦45.9 billion (£94.9 million) to the plaintiffs is intended to fully and finally satisfy the judgment,” the oil giant said.
“They had come to the end of their shenanigans, and they have resolved to accept the offer,” said Lucius Nwosu, the Lawyer representing the Ejama-Ebubu communities in Rivers state. “This decision follows the determination of this community to get justice,” he added.
The MOSOP, in a statement, said, “We hope that this judgment will provide the foundations to address the long and lasting injustice suffered by the Ogoni people.”