The Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld a lower court ruling banning oil company Shell from selling assets in Nigeria until the 2019 oil spill dispute was resolved.
In March, the Supreme Court banned Shell from selling assets in Nigeria until a dispute was ruled. Eighty-eight communities in Rivers received $ 1.95 billion in compensation for an oil spill blaming Shell for damaging farms and waterways. Shell, who denied the cause of the oil spill, has appealed a compensation judgment and a judgment blocking the sale of its assets. Then, after the appeal, the company sought to bid on the asset. However, the Supreme Court said in a June 16 ruling that the parties should “maintain the status quo” until all shell and community demands are heard later this year.
Delta community lawyer Mohammed Darani told Reuters on Monday that “the current situation here is that there are no bids or sales while waiting for hearings on the application scheduled for November 3, 2022. Means. ”
A Shell spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Delta, Africa’s largest source of crude oil, is a poverty-stricken region with a life expectancy of 10 years below the national average. Residents have been accustomed to other problems such as leaks, gas flares, and coastal erosion for decades. Shell wants to sell its stake in Nigeria’s onshore field, which has been active since the 1930s, as part of a global initiative to reduce carbon emissions.
The company, a major international oil company operating in Nigeria, has faced numerous lawsuits over oil spills in the past.
Shell announced in April that oil spills caused by sabotage in the Delta more than doubled last year to 3,300 tonnes, the last recorded level in 2016.
