UK’s Supreme Court permits Nigerian communities to pursue case against Shell in England

The UK’s Supreme Court will allow two Nigerian oil communities seeking compensation from Shell, following decades of environmental degradation to their lands, to pursue their case against the oil major in England.

The ruling of UK’s highest court on Wednesday paved the way for Bille and Ogale communities of Niger Delta to take legal claim against shell after a London court February last year said it could not exercise jurisdiction in a case involving Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

According to Leigh Day, the law firm representing the 40,000 farmers and fisherman from Nigeria, the basis for seeking redress in England is that Royal Dutch Shell (RDS), which is headquartered in London, is legally responsible for the environmental failures of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), a subsidiary of RDS.