Thousands of Nigerian fisherman sue Shell for destroying their communities

Britain’s High Court is set to rule on a case brought by thousands of Nigerian fishermen who say their livelihoods were “devastated” by oil spills for which the international giant Shell is responsible.

Those bringing the case include the Ogale community of Ogoniland, which the UN’s environment programme has described as in need of “the most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise ever undertaken”.

A second action comes from fishermen of the Bille Kingdom in the Niger Delta. Both say the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), a subsidiary of UK-based Royal Dutch Shell (RDS), is responsible.
UK law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the two communities, says the claims are over "extensive environmental damage caused by oil pollution".