Oil giants Shell, Eni, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies allegedly breached international human rights law by selling their assets in Nigeria without cleaning up decades of pollution or compensating local people in the Niger Delta region, according to a group of UN experts. In a series of letters dated July 2 and published on Sunday, a working group made up of UN rapporteurs on human rights and environmental issues, said the four companies’ divestments of onshore assets in Nigeria had lacked transparency and proper accountability, which could hinder clean-up efforts and compensation for damage caused by their operations….In a written response to the UN group’s letter, Shell said it had “embedded respect for human rights” in its business principles and conducts divestments responsibly, screening buyers for technical and financial capability. Italy’s Eni “strongly rejected” the UN experts’ accusations, saying they “do not reflect the reality” of its operations in Nigeria. The company said the sale of its onshore assets to Oando was supported by the Nigerian government and followed an in-depth assessment of the buyer’s capacity, which regulators verified. Total also fully responded to UN working group, response is attached.