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Polluted N’Delta Communities Can Sue In English Courts, UK S’Court Rules
The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court has ruled that oil-polluted Niger Delta communities can sue Shell subsidiaries in Nigeria in English courts.
The decision is a victory for the communities after a five-year battle, and overturns a Court of Appeal ruling.
The Niger Delta communities, with a population of well over 35million people say decades of pollution and degradation have severely affected their lives, health and local environment.
The oil giant had argued that it was only a holding company for a firm that should be judged under Nigerian law.
However, the Supreme Court, the UK’s final Appeal Court for civil cases, ruled that the cases brought by the Bille community and the Ogale people of Ogoniland against Royal Dutch Shell were arguable and could proceed in the English courts.
Both communities in Rivers State amass a population of approximately 48,000 people.
While Bille is located in the heartland of the Kalabari Kingdom, a predominantly riverine area; the Ogale community is situated in Eleme LGA, one of the four Ogoni LGAs in the state, captured by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) scientific study of over 50 years of oil pollution in the Ogoniland.
Royal Dutch Shell did not dispute that pollution had been caused, but argued that it could not be held legally responsible for its Nigerian subsidiary.
Shell is responsible for about 50 per cent of the Nigeria’s oil production.
Last year, the Court of Appeal agreed with the company, but the Supreme Court said, last Friday that that decision was flawed.
The communities, represented by law firm Leigh Day, argued Shell owed a common law duty of care to individuals who had suffered serious harm as a result of the systemic health, safety and environmental failings of one of its overseas subsidiaries.
In 2011, the UN concluded that it would take 30 to 35 years to clean-up the vast amounts of pollution in the Niger Delta.
The Ogale community of about 40,000 people are mostly fishermen or farmers who rely on Ogoniland’s waterways.
Conversely, Bille community has an approximately 8,000 people in the coastal fringes of Rivers State.
But pollution has all but destroyed fishing, turning their lush home into a toxic wasteland.
There have been, at least, 40 oil spills from Shell’s pipelines since 1989, lawyers say Shell’s records reveal.
The UN scientists have found an 8cm (3 inch) layer of refined oil floating on top of water that supplies the community’s drinking wells – vastly higher than is legally permitted.
The water is now too dirty for people to drink.
Despite promises to provide clean water, people must often either shell out for bottled water or drink from contaminated sources.
Thick crusts of ash and tar cover the land where oil spills have caused fires.
Planting new vegetation to replace burnt crops or plants is almost impossible.
A farmer, Damiete Sanipe, described the area as a wasteland where the trees and the mangrove have been destroyed.
“The habitat is gone; the river we used to swim in is gone. For a coastal community whose life revolved around the water, it’s all gone.
“I don’t think money can bring back what we have lost. Even if they want to revive the mangrove, it will take more than 30 years which is a long time.”
On Friday, Leigh Day lawyer, Daniel Leader, said the ruling was a “watershed” for “impoverished communities seeking to hold powerful corporate actors to account”.
The firm said the amount of compensation sought had yet to be determined.
In a statement, Shell said, “The spills at issue happened in communities that are heavily impacted by oil theft, illegal oil refining, and the sabotage of pipelines.”
It said that, despite the causes of the pollution, its subsidiary had worked hard to both clean-up and prevent spills.
It’s the latest in a run of international and domestic law suits over Shell’s oil extraction in Nigeria.
In 2015, it accepted responsibility for two spills and agreed to pay £55million ($76million) to the Bodo community and assist in the clean-up.
In 2006, a Nigerian court ordered the company and partners to pay $1.5billion to the Ijaw people of Bayelsa State for environmental degradation in the area.
In an ongoing civil case, the widows of four environmental activists executed by Nigeria’s military regime in 1995 are suing Shell for allegedly providing support to the military.
The Shell denies the claims.
The decision, last Friday, is the latest case to test whether multinational companies can be held accountable for the acts of overseas subsidiaries.
Reacting, Amnesty International welcomed the ruling.
The Director of Amnesty International’s Global Issues Programme, Mark Dummett, said the fight had not yet been won, but added, “This landmark ruling could spell the end of a long chapter of impunity for Shell and for other multinationals who commit human rights abuses overseas.”
Leigh Day also represented 2,500 Zambian villagers in their pollution case against UK-based mining giant Vedanta Resources.
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled in their favour, and they won an undisclosed settlement.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inaugurated a special legal team to handle election petitions arising from last Saturday’s Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
This comes as the All Progressives Congress (APC) won in Abaji, Kwali, AMAC, and Bwari Area Councils, while the PDP secured victory only in Gwagwalada.
The Tide reports that the council elections were held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, across all six FCT area councils, including Abaji, AMAC, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali.
Results announced so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won in Abaji, Kwali, AMAC, and Bwari Area Councils, while the PDP secured victory only in Gwagwalada.
In a statement issued yesterday by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the party congratulated its candidates, who emerged winners in the chairmanship and councilor elections.
The opposition party acknowledged the victories, noting that the number of wins was lower than expected but significant given the alleged irregularities during the polls.
“We specifically congratulate the Chairman-elect of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mohammed Kasim, and the councillors who have been declared successful by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“This victory, though less in number than we anticipated, is particularly gladdening because it is against the background of unprecedented intimidation, high-powered money politics, and brazen executive brigandage,” the statement read.
Ememobong claimed that there are reports and video evidence indicating voter intimidation and unlawful conduct that influenced the outcome of the elections.
“Reports and video evidence abound where armed security personnel were used to cart away result sheets in polling units, intimidate voters, and unduly influence the outcome of the elections.”
To address complaints and litigations arising from the polls, he said the party has set up a legal team headed by its National Legal Adviser, Shafi Bara’u, Esq.
The statement urged candidates with legitimate grievances to contact the Legal Adviser promptly, as delays could jeopardise their chances in election petition cases.
“The incredible voter apathy in these polls is a direct response to the anti-people Electoral Act 2026, where the people have completely lost faith in the electoral outcomes from elections conducted under this Act.
“These Local Council polls may just be a foreshadowing of the forthcoming general elections in 2027 if changes are not urgently made,” the statement added.
The PDP called on the National Assembly and the President to take corrective action to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, will on Wednesday swear in Justice Joseph Oyewole as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The ceremony is scheduled to be held at 2pm at Courtroom Two of the Supreme Court complex in Abuja.
The court urged guests to adhere strictly to the court’s protocols and security measures.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Supreme Court’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Dr Festus Akande.
The court described Oyewole’s appointment as a step towards reinforcing the capacity of the apex court to deliver fair and timely judgments.
Recall that Oyewole was, until his elevation, a Justice of the Court of Appeal and Presiding Justice of the Enugu Division, and joins the apex court bench as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the judiciary.
The National Judicial Council recommended Oyewole for the position alongside 35 others for various judicial offices, following its 110th meeting held on January 13, 2026, and presided over by Justice Kekere-Ekun.
The statement partly read, “The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, GCON, will on Wednesday, 25th February, 2026, preside over the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Justice of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Joseph Olubunmi Kayode Oyewole, JCA.”
According to the statement, Oyewole served with distinction at the Court of Appeal and as Presiding Justice of the Enugu Division prior to his elevation.
“His appointment underscores the commitment of the Nigerian judiciary to upholding the rule of law, ensuring justice, and strengthening the bench with experienced and dedicated jurists. He brings a wealth of legal expertise and integrity to the apex court to further enhance its capacity to deliver fair and timely judgments,” the statement added.
The apex court further described the swearing-in as “another significant step in rejuvenating the judiciary and ensuring the continued delivery of justice in line with the highest standards of integrity, competence, and impartiality.”
The Supreme Court reiterated its commitment to justice, fairness and judicial independence for the benefit of Nigerians.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed deep shock and sadness over the sudden passage of Senator Barinada Mpigi, the Senator representing South East Senatorial District of Rivers State.
In a tribute to mourn the deceased, Governor Fubara described Mpigi as a brother, a consummate politician and one of the leading lights in Rivers State.
He said that Mpigi died at a critical time when his services were still needed by the people of Rivers State and prayed God Almighty to grant him eternal rest.
The governor commiserated with his immediate family, the Rivers South East Senatorial District and the Senate at large, asking them to take solace in the fact that the deceased lived a good life and impacted positively on the people.
Senator Mpigi died at the age of 64. Until his death, he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works.
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