A Nigerian court has upheld a 2010 decision that saw a ruling order Royal Dutch Shell to pay around $400 million (N17 billion) in reparations for damage caused by a 1970 Rivers State oil spill.
Last year’s ruling ordered Shell and affiliates to pay the hefty fine and the defendants subsequently filed an appeal with the apex court. Unfortunately for Shell, the court was unanimous in its rejection yesterday, stating that the appeal was unmeritorious, and refused to revisit its earlier decision on the matter.
The 1970 disaster at Shell’s operations led to thousands of crude oil barrels spilling into the sea and destroyed the Ejama-Ebubu community’s livelihood.
Shell and its affiliates deny responsibility stating previously “The root case has its origin in a spill caused by third parties during the Nigerian Civil War, a challenging period which resulted in significant damage to oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta region. While SPDC does not accept responsibility for the spill, the affected sites in Ejama Ebubu community were fully remediated, and this was certified by the government regulator.”