An influential traditional chief in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, Bubaraye Dakolo of the Ekpetiama Kingdom, has formally demanded that UK energy giant Shell pay $12 billion for environmental pollution before its planned departure from the region. The demand was made during an appearance before a federal high court in the southern city of Yenagoa, according to a statement released by a coalition of civil society groups. This legal challenge stems from decades of alleged environmental damage caused by Shell's operations, severely impacting farming and fishing communities in the heartland of Nigeria's crude production.

For years, communities in the Niger Delta have engaged in protracted legal battles over the extensive damage from oil spills. Shell, a prominent UK energy company, has been frequently accused of causing severe environmental degradation across Nigeria's southern oil- and gas-rich territories. The monarch's lawsuit was directly prompted by Shell's recent divestment of $2.4 billion in Nigerian assets, as the company shifts its focus towards offshore operations.

The monarch, supported by several civil society groups, accuses Shell of attempting to "exit the Niger Delta without first decommissioning obsolete infrastructure, remediating environmental damage, and compensating the Ekpetiama people for long-standing harm." Chief Dakolo claims that Shell's activities have resulted in massive oil spills, persistent gas flaring, and the destruction of vital fishing and farming lands, rendering rivers, forests, and agricultural areas toxic. The case, which came up for initial mention, has been adjourned until July 22.

Alongside Shell, the lawsuit also names Nigeria's petroleum and justice ministers, as well as a Nigerian upstream petroleum regulatory agency, as defendants. The plaintiffs seek to halt the transfer of Shell's assets until an agreement is reached regarding funding for environmental cleanup, the decommissioning of obsolete infrastructure, and adequate community compensation. As Chief Dakolo emphasized, "Shell wants to leave behind a mess that has ruined our rivers, farmlands, and livelihoods. We demand justice, not abandonment. Shell must clean up, compensate, and decommission. Only then can it leave.” Isaac Asume Osuoka, director of Social Action Nigeria and a party to the lawsuit, further asserted that "Shell wants to exit with profit, leaving behind toxic air, poisoned water, and broken communities."

The legal action in Nigeria follows a High Court hearing in London in February, which began to address similar allegations that Shell has polluted vast areas of the Niger Delta, particularly regions traditionally claimed by the Ogoni people. In response to such claims, a Shell spokesperson has previously stated that the "real problem in the Niger Delta [was] oil spills due to theft, illegal refining and sabotage, which cause the most environmental damage." Meanwhile, Nigeria, as Africa's leading oil producer, is actively seeking to attract more foreign investment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who assumed office in 2023 with a series of reforms. The plaintiffs, however, argue that the Nigerian state, through its relevant ministries and agencies, has failed in its duty to prevent Shell's alleged corporate evasion of responsibility.