Dutch Court Ruling Against Shell
News 31.01.2013
In 2004, 2005 and 2008 respectively, defective pipelines of Shell caused damage to fishponds and farmlands of Nigerian communities. Shell has consistently denied responsibility. Four Nigerian farmers, supported by ERA/Friends of the Earth, subsequently dragged Shell to the Dutch court.
On January 30 2013, the court ruled that Shell is responsible for the pollution of farmlands at Ikot Ada Udo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Following the important victory, ERA’s Executive Director Nnimmo Bassey (RLA 2010) said: “This win for the farmers of Ikot Ada Udo has set a precedent as it will be an important step that multinationals can more easily be made answerable for the damage they do in developing countries. We anticipate other communities will now demand that Shell pay for the assault on their environment”.
