A humanitarian organisation, Amnesty International, on Thursday alleged that Shell repeatedly made false claims about the size and impact of two major oil spills at Bodo, Rivers State.
In a report on its website, the non-governmental organisation claimed that court documents showed that the multinational company tried to minimise its compensation payments and Shell had known for years that its pipelines in the Niger Delta were old and faulty.
The potential repercussions, according to Amnesty, are that hundreds of thousands of people may have been denied or underpaid compensation based on similar underestimates of other spills.
The report read in part, “The irrefutable evidence that Shell underestimated the Bodo spills emerged in a UK legal action brought by 15,000 people whose livelihoods were reportedly devastated by oil pollution in 2008.
“The court action has forced Shell to finally admit the company has underplayed the true magnitude of at least two spills and the extent of damage caused.”
In the report, the non-governmental organisation’s Director for Global Issues, Audrey Gaughran, was quoted as saying, “Amnesty International firmly believes Shell knew the Bodo data were wrong. If it did not it was scandalously negligent – we repeatedly gave them evidence showing they had dramatically underestimated the spills.
“Shell has refused to engage with us and only now that they find themselves in a UK court have they been forced to come clean.”
The report further alleged that Shell’s joint investigation report for the first oil spill in the Bodo area of the Niger Delta had claimed only 1,640 barrels of oil were spilt in total, but that based on an independent assessment published by a US firm, Accufacts Inc., Amnesty International calculated the total amount of oil spilt exceeded 100,000 barrels.
Shell, according to the report, denied the allegation and repeatedly defended its far lower figure.
“For years, Shell has dictated the assessment of volume spilled and damage caused in spill investigation reports, now these reports aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. These spill investigation reports have cheated whole communities out of proper compensation,” Gaughran was quoted as saying.
According to Amnesty, the “Joint Investigation Visit” reports decide whether a community gets any compensation and the amount they receive. They reportedly also determine the extent of the clean-up required.
The people of Bodo were said to have been able to take legal action in the UK, but that the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of people in the Niger Delta who suffer oil spills from Shell’s operations would never have this opportunity to challenge the oil giant.
“Pollution from Shell’s operations has wrecked people’s homes, farms and fishing waters – their ability to send their children to school and put food on the table,” Gaughran reportedly said. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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