Nigerian Villagers Sue Shell in Landmark Pollution Case
►http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/198-natural-resources/51985-nigerian-villagers-sue-shell-in-landmark-pollution-c
By Ivana Sekularac and Anthony Deutsch
Reuters
October 11, 2012ase.html
Nigerian villagers are suing Shell Petroleum Development Co, the largest oil and gas company in Nigeria, for polluting land and water in the Niger Delta region. The applicants demand compensation in the case currently heard in The Hague. Shell denies responsibility and claims that the leaks that caused the pollution were the result of sabotage and theft. The verdict of this case could be an important precedent for corporate liability.
Four Nigerian villagers took Royal Dutch Shell to court on Thursday in a landmark pollution case that campaigners said could open the door to more compensation claims against international companies.
The fishermen and farmers, together with the Friends of the Earth campaign group, accuse the oil major of polluting land and waterways around their homes in the Niger Delta region of Africa’s top energy producer.