Environmentalists applaud Dutch court on verdict on Akwa Ibom oil spill

Environmental Rights Action/Friends of Earth Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation, has applauded Wednesday’s decision by a Dutch court which held Shell liable to the 2008 oil spill in Ikot Ada Udo in Akwa Ibom.

A statement from the organisation on Wednesday described the judgement as a watershed.

“The landmark judgment and one key victory set precedence for global environmental accountability that parent companies, often based in Europe or the U.S, can be held accountable for infractions committed by their subsidiaries anywhere in the world. Finding Shell guilty of the spill at Ikot Ada Udo is commendable; the disdain for the wellbeing of communities that suffer the impacts of its reckless exploitation of oil in the Niger Delta has been legendary. The spill at Ikot Ada Udo lasted for months and in open farmlands and yet Shell had the temerity to fight to avoid culpability. It is just and fair that it is held accountable for this crime,” the statement quoted Nnimmo Bassey, the Executive Director of the organisation, as saying.

Bassey noted that the victory of farmers of Ikot Ada Udo had set a precedent that multinationals could be made answerable for damages caused in developing countries.

“We anticipate that other communities will now demand that Shell pay for the assault on their environment,” Bassey added.

A District Court in The Hague on Wednesday ordered Shell to pay unspecified damages to Ikot Ada Udo community in Ikot Abasi council area of Akwa Ibom but dismissed four other claims filed against Shell by Goi and Oruma.

Also reacting to the development, Chief Samingo Etukakpan, the President of Community Watch of Nigeria, also an environmental NGO, said the judgement had vindicated its position on the spill.

“It is a welcome development that will give us the courage to take multinationals to court for their frequent oil spills. However, this is also a challenge for the Nigerian judiciary to sit up as going outside our shores to seek justice is not the best for Nigeria and Nigerians. It is capital intensive to take up litigation against multinationals in foreign lands and it encourages capital flight and enriches foreign lawyers to the detriment of their Nigerian counterparts,” Etukakpan said.