Amnesty International Urges Shell to Address Historic Niger Delta Oil Pollution Despite Divestment

Amnesty International has reaffirmed that Shell remains responsible for cleaning up and remediating historic oil pollution in the Niger Delta, despite recently divesting its Nigerian subsidiary. Responding to a letter from seven UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights addressed to Shell, Eni, other oil companies, and the governments of their home countries as well as Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, emphasized that decades of repeated oil spills in the region constitute violations of human rights. She stated that for every rights violation, there must be a remedy, urging the companies involved to clean up affected areas and compensate local communities for the harm caused over decades.

Sanusi noted that Amnesty International has been researching and campaigning on oil pollution in Nigeria since the 1990s, and that the UN Special Rapporteurs’ findings corroborate the organization’s longstanding conclusions. She stressed that responsible divestment requires companies to respect human rights and environmental standards, and that the sale of assets does not absolve Shell or other operators of accountability for past actions.

The UN Special Rapporteurs’ letter highlighted that the repeated oil spills have severely affected multiple fundamental rights, including the right to life, a clean and healthy environment, access to safe drinking water, adequate food and housing, cultural rights, and access to information and remedies. The letter criticized the approach being used in Nigeria as “an experiment for divestment without clean-up,” stressing the urgent need for full remediation and compensation to address the human rights abuses arising from this form of divestment.

Amnesty International’s call underscores the continuing importance of corporate accountability in the Niger Delta, where historic environmental damage has long-lasting social, economic, and health impacts. The organization urges Shell and other companies to take concrete action to restore affected communities and ensure that divestment processes do not perpetuate harm, framing responsible corporate behavior as essential for sustainable development and human rights protection in the region.

Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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