Shell employees are the cause of oil spills in the Niger Delta 

Shell employees are the cause of oil spills in the Niger Delta 

Amsterdam, 10 December 2020 - Shell Nigeria employees are causing oil spills themselves in order to earn money from the clean-ups. This is evident from a new Milieudefensie and Friends of the Earth Nigeria report and later verified by independent jouralist at Zembla. The oil spill clean-ups are organised by Shell in such a way that the oil spills generates income for the local population. Shell Nigeria is aware of all this but is not doing anything about it, says Milieudefensie.  

Shell employees are themselves involved in these oil spills in Nigeria. This directly contradicts the picture that Shell itself paints, in which the responsibility for the spills is placed on the rebels. For this research, multiple people have been interviewed extensively. An independent journalist has verified this research later commissioned by Zembla.

Shell employees order the spills

The involved Ikarama residents in the Niger Delta not only confirm that Shell employees hire residents to perpetrate spills, but also claim that everyone in the village has been approached. Many people are sensitive to this issue, because their fields and fish ponds are often too polluted by oil to earn a living from. ‘Someone who is hungry,’ a representative from the Ikarama community pointed out, ‘is someone who consents.’ 

Shell employees, local residents and clean-up companies are thus all working together. The employee points out where and when a spill should occur. It is usually young people who perpetrate the spills. A Shell employee then hires a clean-up company from among the perpetrator’s acquaintances and afterwards, they divide the profits among themselves. At least 30 oil spills have been recorded in the Ikarama area over the past 10 years, according to Friends of the Earth Nigeria ERA.

Shell is aware

The report describes several key moments that prove that Shell is aware of these practices. Therefore, it should be Shell’s responsibility to protect the pipelines from these spills but also arrange for the clean-ups of the spills.

Donald Pols: "Shell always claims it’s not their responsibility: global warming, earthquakes in the Netherlands, oil spills in Nigeria. This research shows for the umpteenth time that Shell should look in the mirror more often. The big question now is how many of the countless oil spills were caused by Shell employees and why does Shell management continue to point the finger at others."

The report’s recommendations highlight how effective the protection of the pipelines by young people has been in the past. Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) also wants Shell to compensate the local population for the damages they have endured.

Judge’s verdict in the case of Milieudefensie against Shell

Milieudefensie and Friends of the Earth Nigeria ERA have been busy for some time, trying to persuade Shell  take responsibility for the world’s largest oil disaster. Milieudefensie sued Shell in 2008 for the oil pollution in Nigeria, in the first case ever involving a Dutch corporation being held accountable for environmental pollution beyond Dutch borders. After 12 years, the verdict of the appeal will be announced on January 29, 2021 at 11 a.m.

Relevant publications:

• Shells traces in Nigeria's leaked oil
• No Clean Up No Justice

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Photo: George Osodi, 2004