Tag: Niger Delta

Africa
Ogoni

Nigeria: pardon for Ogoni Nine ‘far short of real justice’

Amnesty International said that the Nigerian government’s pardon for the Ogoni Nine falls “far short of real justice.” The rights group published the statement in response to the government’s decision to posthumously exonerate the Nine. The Ogoni Nine were a group of environmental activists who campaigned against Shell oil company and the Nigerian central government for the destructive impacts of oil production in the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta. After brutally suppressing protests in the region, the government accused the Ogoni Nine of murder. The nine men were convicted after what rights groups called an unfair trial and executed in 1995. Amnesty International Nigeria welcomed the decision to pardon the activists but noted that much more needs to be done for the local communities, asserting that Shell’s activities in the region have left toxic pollution, affecting the health and livelihoods of many of the 30 million people living in the Niger Delta. (Photo: 101LastTribes)

Africa
niger delta flare

UK court approves Nigerian suit against Shell Oil

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom allowed a case filed by 42,335 Nigerian claimants against Shell Oil and a Nigerian subsidiary to proceed in the UK courts. The claimants first sued Shell and its subsidiary in 2015 over leaks from pipelines in the Niger Delta that resulted in the destruction of farmland, the death of fish stocks, and poisoned drinking water. They argued that the oil spills occurred due to the negligence of the subsidiary company responsible for operating the pipelines. They charged that Shell’s parent company owed them a “common law duty of care,” since it exercised significant control over the operations of the Nigerian subsidiary. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Africa
ISIS Nigeria

Vigilantism fears in Nigeria’s conflicted north

Traditional rulers in Nigeria’s strife-torn north are warning that vigilante militias now forming to fight Boko Haram are a sign of a generalized social breakdown in the region. The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, told a public meeting in Kaduna that the new paramilitaries could themselves metamorphose into terror groups. “Governors must see that they do more to address insecurity, just imagine that there are over 50,000 orphans. They will be worse than Boko Haram if allowed to grow without proper care,” he said. Abubakar is chair of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, but a youth-led Coalition of Northern Groups has emerged outside control of the traditional rulers, and launched a paramilitary network called Shege Ka Fasa to defend against the Islamist militias. (Photo: Sahara Reporters)

Africa

Niger Delta Avengers re-ignite insurgency

A new militant organization, the Niger Delta Avengers, has claimed a string of attacks on oil infrastructure, and issued communiques broaching secession from Nigeria.

Africa

Nigerian farmers can sue Shell in Netherlands

In a landmark victory for Nigerian farmers, the Hague Court of Appeals ruled that Royal Dutch Shell can be sued in a Netherlands court over oil spills in the Niger Delta.

Africa

Niger Delta insurgency back on?

Gunmen attacked two ships off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, killing two naval troops protecting the vessels and seizing four foreign workers before fleeing.