A UK High Court has concluded hearings in a landmark environmental lawsuit involving the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), over two catastrophic oil spills that devastated the Bodo community in Rivers State, Nigeria, in 2008.
The case, filed under Case No: HT-2013-000028 at the High Court of Justice, King’s Bench Division, London, centers on claims that SPDC failed to adequately clean up the environmental damage caused by the spills, despite an earlier £55 million compensation agreement.
The court heard final arguments on June 16 and 17, 2025, and Justice O’Farrell has now reserved judgment, a decision that typically follows within three months.
The Bodo community, represented by UK-based law firm Leigh Day, contends that nearly 500,000 barrels of crude oil were spilled into the environment from the Bomu-Bonny Trans-Niger Pipeline, operated by Shell. The plaintiffs argue that Shell’s clean-up efforts were inadequate and that the spills continue to impact the health and livelihoods of over 30,000 residents, including many children.
“More than 17 years after these devastating oil spills took place, we hope and trust that justice will finally be delivered,” said King John Bari-Iyiedum Berebon, the Paramount Ruler of Bodo, in a statement released on June 19.
“Unless a full and thorough clean-up is ordered, the lives of our people will remain blighted for generations.”
A Decade-Long Legal Battle
Shell admitted responsibility for the 2008 spills and, in 2014, agreed to a £55 million compensation package—£35 million for the community and £20 million for 15,000 individuals. However, in 2024, the Bodo community challenged the quality of Shell’s clean-up work, prompting the High Court to reopen the case.
The community’s legal team presented testimony from scientists, financial experts, Nigerian law specialists, and even witnesses from Shell and Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings, which acquired Shell’s onshore assets in Nigeria earlier this year in a $2.4 billion deal.
Leigh Day solicitor Alex Wessely noted that Shell’s own witness described the Bodo spills as among “the largest ever recorded globally” and acknowledged their severe environmental impact.
“Our clients believe Shell and Renaissance have not adequately remediated the damage. People in Bodo continue to suffer the health and economic consequences of those spills,” Wessely said.
International Spotlight
The case was initially brought to mediation in 2013 by the Dutch government, resulting in the Bodo Mediation Initiative, led by former Dutch Ambassador Bert J. Ronhaar. A settlement was reached in 2014, and in 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed outlining clean-up commitments by Shell.
However, the plaintiffs returned to court in 2024, alleging non-compliance and unsatisfactory restoration.
What’s Next?
With judgment now pending, the global community is watching closely. The outcome may set a significant precedent for environmental accountability by multinational corporations operating in developing countries.
