Wiwa v. Shell

Shell has pursued oil and gas projects in the Niger delta since the 1950's. The legacy of Shell's presence in the Niger Delta has been environmental devastation and human suffering.

In the 1990's a popular movement of the Ogoni people began to push back against Shell's impacts in the Niger delta. The Nigerian military, paid to serve as security for Shell, responded to these protests with violence.

Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders of the Ogoni movement were arrested by the Nigerian military and hanged in 1995.

In 1996, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Earth Rights International filed a lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell for complicity in human rights abuses against the Ogoni people in Nigeria. Ultimately, Shell settled in 2009 for a total of $15.5 million.

Links

 * Earth Rights International video on Wiwa v. Shell