Lawyers say thousands of Nigerian farmers and fishermen are taking legal action in the UK in an attempt to win compen-sation for environmental damage caused by oil spills.
A London law firm representing more than 11,000 people from Rivers State in the African republic says claims are being made against oil giant Shell.
Leigh Day and Co said legal action was being started after compensation negotiations failed. But Shell, which disputes the amount of spillage it is responsible for, said the launch of litigation was “disappointing”.
Bosses at the company said they wanted a “speedy resolution” to the dispute so “fair compensation” could be paid. They said only lawyers would benefit from legal action.
Leigh Day and Co said formal paperwork was being lodged at the High Court in London.
Shell said the litigation concerned two 2008 “operational oil spills totalling an estimated 4,000 barrels” from Shell Petroleum Company of Nigeria facilities at Bodo.
“We know that oil pollution can have a serious impact on people’s lives and land and we are very sorry these spills occurred,” a spokesman said.
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