Niger Delta communities' lawsuit against Shell over alleged oil pollution to be tried in UK in March 2027
"Nigerian communities to take Shell to high court over oil pollution", 20 Jun 2025
... Members of the Bille and Ogale communities in the Niger delta, which have a combined population of about 50,000, are suing Shell and a Nigerian-based subsidiary of the company, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, which is now the Renaissance Africa Energy Company.
The two communities began the legal action in 2015, claiming they had suffered systemic and ongoing oil pollution for years due to the companies’ operations in the African country, including the pollution of drinking water.
They are seeking compensation and asking for the companies to clean up damage caused by the spills.
The companies are defending the claims, saying that the majority of spills are caused by the criminal acts of third parties or illegal oil refining, for which they are not liable.
On Friday, Mrs Justice May ruled on more than 20 preliminary issues in the claims...
... Her findings included that Shell could be sued for damage from pipeline spills caused by third parties, such as vandals, in efforts to steal oil, a process known as bunkering...
...The cases are due to be tried over four months, starting in March 2027.
Reacting to the ruling, the leader of the Ogale community, King Bebe Okpabi, said: “It has been 10 years now since we started this case. We hope that now Shell will stop these shenanigans and sit down with us to sort this out...
...A Shell spokesperson said that the company also welcomed the judgment. They said: “For many years, the vast majority of spills in the Niger Delta have been caused by third parties acting unlawfully, such as oil thieves who drill holes in pipelines or saboteurs...