Amnesty International Denounces Niger Delta Pollution From Oil Exploitation By Shell

Amnesty International says pollution caused by oil exploitation violates the rights of hundreds of thousands of people in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, citing crude oil leaks, waste dumping, and gas flaring as endemic in the region. The NGO says residents are forced to use polluted water and to consume fish contaminated by crude oil and other toxins, according to a report published today by Amnesty. Amnesty International argues that for decades the Nigerian government has not held oil companies such as Royal Dutch Shell accountable for their polluting activities. It also says the new Shell CEO, Peter Voser, who takes office on Wednesday, should publicly commit to launching a Niger Delta depollution operation during his first 100 days in office.

“When the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, the whole world held its breath”

Cdurable.info

A Climate Home News investigation says that when Shell sold its onshore oil operations in Nigeria to the Renaissance Africa Energy Company last year, the divestment helped Shell become the first energy major to report zero routine flaring. One year on, the outlet says gas flaring at some of these assets has increased significantly while Shell has continued to benefit commercially from them. Since March 2025, Climate Home News reports that Shell has traded 8 million barrels of oil from the Niger Delta’s Forcados terminal included in the Renaissance deal, and it says Shell traded 3 million barrels from the Bonny terminal since the deal went through. Using an average 2025 global Brent crude price of $69 per barrel, the investigation calculates that 11 million barrels shipped from the two terminals would be worth $759 million.

Climate Home News says Shell chartered the tankers carrying the oil to buyers around the world, and it quotes Neil Atkinson saying, "Whoever is running Shell’s old oilfields in Nigeria needs to get that oil to market." The outlet also reports that Shell’s shipping and chartering arm made a profit of £24.8 million (about $33 million) in 2024, up from £17 million the year before. It adds that Shell spokespersons said, "We don’t comment on trading activities or specific customer relationships," when asked about Shell’s continuing ties to the two terminals. The same reporting frames the stakes as energy majors’ climate performance and environmental legacy after selling fossil fuel assets in countries such as Nigeria, where Shell has operated for nearly a century.

“Amnesty International, the human rights NGO, says that pollution caused by oil exploitation violates the rights of hundreds of thousands of people in the Niger Delta”

VOA Afrique