Latest news with #BilleCommunity
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Shell to face High Court trial over legacy oil pollution in 2027
Oil giant Shell will now face a full trial in London's High Court in 2027 over allegations it was legally responsible for legacy oil pollution in Nigeria. Shell Plc and a Nigerian-based subsidiary of the company, now known as the Renaissance Africa Energy Company, are being sued by members of the Bille and Ogale communities in the Niger Delta. The legal action is led by the claimant law firm Leigh Day, which began legal action in 2015. The claim contains allegations that years of chronic oil spills have left the communities, which have a combined population of 50,000, without access to clean water, unable to farm and fish, and with a serious ongoing risk to public health. The case has been through several courts, including the High Court in 2017 and the Court of Appeal in 2018. Both courts ruled that there was no arguable case that Shell owed the claimants a duty of care. However, the Supreme Court overturned those in 2021, viewing that there was a 'real issue to be tried'. The High Court went on to green-light the legal battle in November 2023. The parties went to a preliminary issues trial between February and March this year at the court, where Mrs Justice May had to rule on several issues, including Shell's rejected argument on liability and concluded that the oil giant can still be liable for these spills. Shell argued that there was a strict five-year limitation period. However, the judge, in her 102-page judgment, rejected the argument and left it open for the communities to claim compensation for oil spills that occurred more than five years ago. She stated that 'some 85 spills have, so far, been identified,' and despite it being launched 10 years ago, she added that this case was 'still at a very early stage'. The judge also found that Shell could be liable for damage resulting from bunkering or illegal refining if it failed to protect its infrastructure, particularly if there is evidence that its staff have been complicit in the illegal activities. Leigh Day partner Matthew Renshaw said: 'Shell's attempts to knock out or restrict these claims through a preliminary trial of Nigerian law issues have been comprehensively rebuffed.' 'This outcome opens the door to Shell being held responsible for their legacy pollution as well as their negligence in failing to take reasonable steps to prevent pollution from oil theft or local refining,' he added. A spokesperson for Shell said the company welcomed this judgement. 'For many years, the vast majority of spills in the Niger Delta have been caused by third parties acting unlawfully, such as oil thieves who drill holes in pipelines, or saboteurs.' 'This criminality is the cause of the majority of spills in the Bille and Ogale claims, and we maintain that Shell is not liable for the criminal acts of third parties or illegal refining. These challenges are managed by a joint venture which Shell's former subsidiary operated, using its expertise in spill response and clean-up.' 'The spills referenced in this litigation were cleaned up by the joint venture regardless of the cause, as required by Nigerian law, working closely with government-owned partner NNPC Ltd, Nigerian government agencies and local communities.' 'Clean-up certificates were issued by the Nigerian regulator NOSDRA,' the spokesperson added. The trial, which will be closely watched, is set to take place over four months from March 2027.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- BBC News
'Na my only pikin, make notin happun to am' - how sea pirates kidnap students wey dey go write Waec exams
Sea pirates don kidnap13 passengers along di Isaka waterways for Okrika local goment area of Rivers State, south-south Nigeria. Di incident wey happun on Tuesday 6 May, 2025 involve students wey bin dey travel to write dia West African Examinations Council (Waec) exams. Mama of one of di kidnap victims, Baktah Benjamin, say her son dey among di 13 passengers wey di sea pirates kidnap, wey also include seven teenage girls. "Dis morning my son tell me say e dey go Bille and im and odas travel. Now dem call me say my son dey among di pipo di pirates kidnap. All of dem go write Waec. Make goment come help us for Bille Kingdom. We no fit go our own village again? Dem kidnap dem along dis Isaka river. Dem never reach Bille or di open river bifor dem kidnap dem. Please, I dey beg goment to help rescue my son make notin happun to am. Na my only pikin," she tok. Chairman of Bille Community for Port Harcourt, Peters Obene say na around afta 4pm on Wednesday 6 May na im e get information say sea pirates don kidnap a full boat load of 13 passengers wey bin dey travel from Port Harcourt to Bille to write di Waec exams. E say di pipo wey identify dem say di pirates bin wear a local security uniform. (Tantita). E kon plead wit goment and security agencies to help rescue all di victims so dem go fit write di Waec exams. "We dey beg goment and di security agencies to take action to stop sea pirates from operating in our area." Anoda Bille woman, Ibiada Okorite James dey also call on goment to help rescue di kidnap victims from di sea pirates, especially di seven teenage girls wey dey among dem wey also dey go write di Waec exams. "We dey beg goment to help us secure dis Bille river becos e no dey secure again. We dey travel wit fear and e don too much becos just two weeks ago, dem collect anoda boat and kidnap di pipo inside and di community pay 30 million naira to release dem and now dem don come again. Make goment help us," she tok. 'No be di first time pirates dey kidnap for di area' Gunmen bin don kidnap at least 16 pipo in two separate attacks along dat waterways. Di first attack happun near di Borokiri axis of Port Harcourt wia pirates bin hijack a wooden cargo boat wey bin dey travel go Bonny for Bonny local goment area, and kidnap three out of di five passengers as dem leave one elderly man wit di boat driver. Anoda boat piloted by di same captain wey dem bin don ambush im vessel some weeks ago, also suffer yet anoda attack near Isaka for Okrika local goment area. On dis recent attacks by pirates, Odia Igbikiye-oyibo wey be di tok tok pesin of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) for Bille, dey call on both di federal and state goments to approve local security wey go work wit security agencies to protect di waterways for di area. "We dey call on goment to approve community police to work wit di security authorities wey dey dat areas. We get some security bodies, we know say dem dey work but e no dey easy to comb di whole river. So we dey ask di goment to approve community police to work wit di security agencies for dis territory so dat our waterways go dey peaceful and safe for all users. Last month, di sea pirates hijack one boat and carry six passengers and di community struggle to pay ransom of about 30 million naira to secure dia release," e add. Tok-tok pesin for Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, say di Commissioner of Police don direct im tactical team and di officer in charge of Marine Police to intensify efforts to ensure di safe release of all di kidnap victims.
