Hydrocarbon giant Shell has been ordered to pay 15 million euros in compensation to Nigerian farmers following a 15-year legal battle.
An unprecedented victory for the latter who had demanded that Shell pay for the clean-up work after four black tides spilled on their land.
Between 2004 and 2007, these oil leaks severely polluted their villages, endangering their livelihoods and lives.
The Dutch court seised also ordered the multinational to clean up the damage and install a leak detection system to prevent further spills.
At the heart of the negotiations, Environmental Defense(Friends of the Earth Netherlands) has achieved justice for the communities of the four complainants who have since died.
An independent expert confirmed that Shell had installed a leak detection system on the pipeline in question, in accordance with the orders of the court of appeal.
In 2020 and 2021, the Nigerian National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) recorded 822 combined spills, for a total of 28,003 barrels of oil spat into the environment. According to experts, life expectancy in the Niger Delta is now 41 years, 10 years less than the national average.
After the final appeal court ruling last year, the multinational said it continued to believe the spills were due to a sabotage.
However the Court said Shell had failed to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that sabotage caused the spill, rather than a poor maintenance policy.