Shell pays Nigerian farmer €15m over pollution problem

A Dutch appeals court ruled last year that after a 13-year legal battle, Shell’s Nigerian branch had to pay for a series of leaks and the parent company would install new pipeline facilities to prevent further catastrophic leaks. I have decided that it is necessary.

Shell said Friday it had reached an agreement with Dutch environmental group Milieudefensie, which has been helping affected communities.

“Under the settlement, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria, as operator of the SPDC joint venture, will pay €15 million for the benefit of the community and individual claimants,” the statement said.

The deal also confirmed the installation of leak detection systems on 20 pipeline segments following a Dutch court ruling, and the remediation work has been completed.

Despite acknowledging that the settlement is subject to the Dutch court’s ruling, the oil company said the agreement was “based on the ground of non-admission of liability and will resolve all claims and remove all suspensions related to the spill.” We will end the lawsuit in the middle,” he said.

Four Nigerian farmers and fishermen have sued Shell of the Netherlands to pay for the removal of runoff from pipelines in the Niger River Delta, a major oil-producing region.

They were assisted by Milieudefensie, the Dutch chapter of Friends of the Earth.

Shell has always attributed the contamination to sabotage and says it has cleaned up the affected areas.

The legal battle dragged on and all the original farmers died, but survivors and affected communities moved on.

“After years of legal battles with Shell, it is a huge relief for all of us to be able to receive this money immediately as compensation for everything we have lost.

Milieudefensie director Donald Pols said the settlement will finally allow plaintiffs and their communities to get on with their lives.

But he also said it has a broader meaning.

“Looking at the litigation as a whole, the big achievement is that a new standard has been set. Businesses can no longer escape pollution and disregard for human rights,” he said.

“Now they can be held accountable.”

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