Niger Delta community demands compensation, cleanup from Shell

Civil society groups and traditional leaders from the Niger Delta have called on Shell Nigeria to take full responsibility for decades of environmental degradation in the region, demanding proper compensation, cleanup, and restoration for affected communities.

At an international press conference held in Abuja on the legal case HRM Bubaraye Dakolo vs. Shell, the Executive Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, condemned Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta, describing the company’s legacy as one of “dead zones, toxic exposure, loss of livelihoods, and denial of dignity.”

“For over seventy years, transnational oil corporations led by Shell have extracted wealth from our lands and waters, leaving behind poisoned creeks, flared skies, and broken lives,” Bassey stated. “Communities like Ekpetiama have become ecological war zones.”

He stressed that the ongoing lawsuit is not merely about asserting rights but about confronting systemic destruction. “True justice begins with recognizing that the environment is not just a backdrop—it is life itself. Polluters must not escape accountability. They must pay up, clean up, and restore what they’ve destroyed.”

Bassey also cited findings from the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC), which detail the devastating impact of oil pollution in the region. He urged the Nigerian government and the international community to resist Shell’s attempts to evade justice and ensure the company faces “uncompromising accountability.”

Also speaking at the event, HRM King Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV of Ekpetiama Kingdom and Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, described the daily suffering of his people due to decades of oil pollution.

“Our streams are polluted, and our farmlands are laced with crude oil,” he said. “Children breathe soot, and our people are now suffering from cancer and strange illnesses that never existed before oil exploration began.”

He emphasized that the struggle is about survival, dignity, and the right of Niger Delta communities to live in a safe and healthy environment.