Shell Offers $51m As Compensation For Oil Spill In Nigeria

VENTURES AFRICA – Royal Dutch Shell has offered to compensate Nigeria’s Bodo community with the sum of £30 million ($51 million) for two oil spills that destroyed the livelihood of Fishermen in 2008.
“Nigeria’s Bodo community should ask their UK Lawyers to stop wasting time pursuing ambiguous claims,” Shell Nigeria’s MD, Mutiu Sunmonu said. “Shell wants to compensate quickly and fairly those who have genuinely been affected and also clean up all affected areas.”

About 15,000 fishermen, from Bodo community in Rivers state Nigeria sued Shell multinational oil company over two oil spills in 2008, where about 300,000 barrels of oil leaked and destroyed 1000 hectares of Mangrove swamps and channels. This spill destroyed the means of securing the basic living necessity of the predominantly fishing community.
The affected residents of the community, represented by a Law firm Leigh Day, appealed in 2011 in a London Court for a compensation of over £300 million for spilling of 500,000 barrels of oil.
However, the London high court rejected the attempts of the Community’s UK legal representative to expand the scope of the compensation. The court ruled that the pipeline operator could not be held responsible for damage caused by oil theft.
Massive Oil theft, leak from ageing pipeline and sabotage of infrastructure are significantly denting the West African country’s oil revenue.