Nigerian farmers sued Shell for oil pollution

The company Shell has been ordered by a Dutch court to pay compensation for oil spills on land in two villages in Nigeria. The long-running case was brought by four Nigerian farmers.

The farmers first sued Shell in 2008 over pollution in their villages Goi, Oruma and Ikot Ada Udo, in southeastern Nigeria.

Shell has always been accused of all of the spills on sabotage although the company had often claimed it has cleaned up with due care where pollution has occurred.

The Dutch court decision delivered a victory of the Nigerian farmers in their 13 year-long effort to hold the British-Dutch multinational oil and gas company accountable for oil spills on their lands

Nigeria was the world's ninth-largest oil producer in 2018, pumping out volumes valued at some $43.6 billion (37 billion Euros), or 3.8 percent of total global production.

The Court of Appeal in The Hague sided with farmers and environmentalists on most of their legal claims, claiming that the Nigerian subsidiary owes the farmers financial compensation for the oil spill pollution in the villages.

However, the court did not specify how many of the four farmers would receive compensation. Adding to that, the amount of damages would be determined later.

On the other hand, Eric Dooh, one of the Nigerian plaintiffs, said in a statement after the verdict "Finally, there is some justice for the Nigerian people suffering the consequences of Shell's oil. "

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