Ogoni clean-up: Rivers community sues Kachikwu, Baru, Shell for N5bn

By Vivian Okejeme

 

Abuja

 

Elders of Bolo communities in Ogu/Bolo local government area of Rivers state, alleging fraud in the ongoing Ogoni oil spill clean-up, have dragged the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr.
Ibe Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr.
Maikanti Baru, and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Th e plaintiff s are asking the court to order the 7th defendant (Shell) to pay the sum of N5billion as general damages.
Kachikwu, Baru and Shell were sued as the 1st, 3rd and 7th defendants, respectively.
Minister of Environment, the Chairman & members, Board of Trustees of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Chairman & members of the Governing Council of HYPREP, and the project coordinator of HYPREP, Dr.
Marvin Barinen Dekil, were joined as co-defendants.
In the suit m arked FHC/ ABJ/CS/595/17, the community told the court that compensation expected to be given to them over two massive oil spills recorded in their area between 2008 and 2009, was diverted.
According to them, the spills were from the 24 inch Trans-Niger Pipeline, owned by Shell, the 7th defendant in the suit.
Th e plaintiff s told the court that Shell admitted liability over the spills that aff ected their swamps, creeks, drinking water sources,fi shes and general environment and lifestyle.
Th ey disclosed that following the level of devastation the oil spill caused to their environment, the federal government in conjunction with Shell and UNEP, commissioned a study to look at the environmental pollution in Ogoniland and its eff ect on the people, adding that they were not contacted or participated in the exercise.

 

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