Nigerian activist Alagoa Morris highlighted Shell’s alleged toxic practices—oil spills, gas flaring, and farmland destruction—in the Niger Delta, causing cancers, stillbirths, and poisoned water sources. He contrasted this with stricter regulations in the UK/Netherlands, labeling it “environmental racism.” Communities in Bayelsa and Delta are pushing for compensation and cleanup, amid ongoing lawsuits.
Activist’s Stark Indictment
In a recent interview with Sputnik Africa, Alagoa Morris, Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), decried Shell’s operations in Nigeria as “environmental terrorism” and “environmental racism.” Morris, a veteran campaigner who has monitored oil activities for decades through groups like Environmental Rights Action and the Niger Delta Resource Center, pointed to the company’s Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), as the culprit behind an estimated 100 oil spills that have ravaged land, waterways, and drinking sources in the Delta. “Shell commits acts it would never attempt in the UK or the Netherlands,” he stated, emphasizing how practices like unchecked gas flaring and inadequate spill responses are prohibited in those countries but persist in Nigeria due to lax enforcement and corporate impunity.
Morris detailed the human toll: hydrocarbons in blood samples from affected women exceed World Health Organization limits by over 8,000 times, linking spills to elevated cancer rates, neonatal deaths (up to 16,000 annually nationwide), and stillbirths. A 2023 Bayelsa State-commissioned report described the pollution as an “environmental genocide,” with life expectancy in the Delta at just 41 years—20 years below the national average. Gas flaring alone, which Shell maintains at nearly 100 sites, releases carcinogens like benzene into the air, soil, and water, devastating fishing and farming livelihoods in communities like Otuabagi and Ogoniland.
Community Struggles and Legal Battles
Residents in Bayelsa and Delta states, including the Ogale and Bille communities (totaling over 50,000 people), are at the forefront of demands for justice. Fishermen like PrayGod Moses in Otuasega, Bayelsa, report ruined farmlands and waterways from a 2022 Shell pipeline spill, forcing reliance on contaminated sources. Women in these areas, who bear the brunt of collecting water and growing food, face daily exposure to toxins that have rendered mangroves and creeks lifeless.
Ongoing lawsuits underscore the pushback. In February 2025, the UK High Court heard claims from Ogale and Bille against Shell for spills dating back to the 1980s, alleging violations of rights to a clean environment under Nigerian law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. A June 2025 ruling by Mrs Justice May DBE clarified Nigerian principles on oil pollution liability, holding that Shell could be accountable for third-party theft-related spills if preventive measures failed, though limitation periods apply. UN experts in September 2025 accused Shell, Eni, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies of human rights breaches by divesting assets without cleanup—Shell completed its $1.3 billion sale to Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings in March 2025, leaving a $12 billion remediation bill for Bayelsa alone.
Earlier settlements, like the 2014 £55 million payout to Bodo (still uncleaned) and a 2021 Dutch court order for $111 million to Ejama-Ebubu, highlight patterns of delayed accountability. Activists like Phillip Godfrey of the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre call divestments a “scam,” arguing new owners lack funds or will for remediation. In June 2025, Ekpetiama Kingdom’s monarch demanded $12 billion from Shell before exit, citing destroyed fisheries and toxic rivers.
Shell’s Response and Broader Implications
Shell maintains most spills stem from oil theft and sabotage, not infrastructure failures, and claims commitment to cleanup via joint ventures with Nigeria’s state petroleum company. A spokesperson reiterated that Renaissance will handle remediation, but critics like Morris counter that “sponsored agents” often burn spill sites instead of properly decontaminating, exacerbating damage. The company’s March 2025 divestment, approved despite protests from 190+ civil society groups, has sparked global calls for transparency, including a May 2025 letter to Shell executives.
This crisis ties into Nigeria’s oil paradox: the Delta produces 40% of the nation’s crude, yet communities endure what a 2023 Bayelsa report terms “environmental genocide.” With over 1.5 million tons of oil spilled since 1958 per UN estimates, and flares visible from space burning gas that could power the region, activists warn of irreversible harm without international intervention.
