Report of Shell winning Niger Delta oil spill case in UK is misleading
The Lead Claimant/Executive Director of Oil Spill Victims’ Vanguard, OSPIVV, Prince Harrison Jalla, says the report by Vanguard Newspaper that the United Kingdom Supreme Court, has ruled in favour of Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, in the Bonga Oil Spill case, is misleading.
Jalla stressed that: “The substantive matter, remains and its ongoing before Justice O’Farrel OBE, KC in the Technology and Construction Court (King’s Bench Division) Business and Property Courts of England and Wales.”
Vanguard Newspaper had reported yesterday, Wednesday May 10, that the United Kingdom Supreme Court, ruled that it was too late for Nigerian claimants to sue its two subsidiaries, over the 2011 Bonga Offshore Oil Spill.
In a swift reaction, today, Thursday May 11, Prince Jalla, who stated that they were irked by the Vanguard Newspaper publication, posited: “”Shell couldn’t have won a case in which they deliberately refused to file a defence.
“We want to state as follows: (1) That the UK Bonga oil spill case in claim No. HT-2017-000383 and HT-2020-000143, is ongoing before Justice O’Farrel OBE, KC in the Technology and Construction Court (King’s Bench Division) Business and Property Courts of England and Wales. (2) It is true that one leg of the matter that has to do with continuing tort was appealed to the UK Supreme Court by the claimants.
“The subject matter which we are contending, is that since Shell did not do any clean-up of the Bonga oil spill of December 20th 2011, that polluted our communities, the damage is accruing and it’s ongoing till date, as long as the crude oil remains on our land.
“We want to assure our people of Niger Delta that they should disregard such misleading information, be calm and wait the final judgement which is imminent”.
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