People
of Goi community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State have
sued Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and others over alleged
exclusion from a recent payment of £55 million as compensation to
residents of Bodo community.
A United Kingdom-based law
firm, Leigh Day, had, in 2011, represented Bodo community in an appeal
before a London court for the oil company to pay about £300 million in
compensation to its clients for the spillage of 500,000 barrels of oil
into their environment in 2008/2009.
Shell
accepted responsibility for the spillage and paid £55 million to the
over 15,000 Bodo community residents in 2014 as an out-of-court
settlement deal.
However, the Goi community, which was also affected in the oil spillage, was reportedly excluded from compensation payment.
The
current suit is the second in the series against Shell by the Goi
community after the famous four Niger Delta farmers’ case against the
company at The Hague, Netherlands.
The community is one of three
that had been sacked by the activities of oil firms in Ogoni of Rivers
State alone, the other two being Bue-Leh and Busuu communities.
Suing
for themselves and representing the Goi community were His Royal
Highness, Mene Tomii Tomii; Chief Eric Dooh; Mene Kanen Timii and Mene
Tom-Bari Gbegha who were present in court, on Monday, with over 100
other members of the community.
In the case, instituted at the
Federal High Court 4, Port Harcourt, the Goi community claimed that it
should not have been excluded from the compensation payment since it was
also affected in the same oil spill for which compensation was paid.
The
community wanted Shell and nine others to explain how compensation was
paid to its exclusion for the same oil spill which the court at The
Hague had, in 2013, ruled was caused by sabotage.
Speaking on
the matter, counsel to Goi community, Dr M.E. Brown, expressed optimism
that his clients would get justice from the court, noting that they had a
good case against Shell and others.
Other parties and
defendants in the suit were the United Nations Development Programme
(UNEP), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Hydrocarbon
Pollution Restoration Programme (HYPREP), Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Others
included the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Inspector General of
Police (IGP), the National Oil Spill Detection Agency (NOSDA) and the
Niger Delta Relief Foundation (NDRF).
The trial judge, Justice U. F. Agomo, adjourned further hearing on the matter till October 13.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
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