Shell will pay $15.9 million to some Nigerian communities that suffered from the multiple oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta. The statement from the oil company came on Friday during a joint statement with the Dutch division of Friends of the Earth.
The remuneration came after the environmental group Friends of the Earth brought forth a Dutch court case that found Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary SPDC to be responsible for oil leaks last year and therefore was ordered to compensate for the loss to farmers.
The money will support the communities of Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo in Nigeria, which suffered from the four oil spills that occurred between 2004 and 2007.
“The settlement is on a no admission of liability basis, and settles all claims and ends all pending litigation related to the spills,” Shell said.
According to the company’s statement, an independent expert has verified that SPDC installed a leak detection system on the KCTL Pipeline in accordance with the appellate court’s directives.
Four farmers and Friends of the Earth brought forth the case in 2008 to seek amendments for lost salary from contaminated land and waterways in the region, the center of Nigeria’s oil industry.
After the appellate court’s final decision last year, Shell said it kept its belief that the spills were caused by the destruction.
On the other hand, the court replied that Shell had not given any evidence “beyond reasonable doubt” that the destruction had caused the leak, rather than poor maintenance.
