King Bubaraye Dakolo, Gada IV of Ekpetiama Kingdom, has joined forces with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to demand justice for over 1.5 million Bayelsa citizens affected by hydrocarbon pollution.
The Royal Father and CSOs are calling on the Nigerian state and the international community to reject Shell’s attempts to escape justice and to hold the company accountable for its environmental crimes.
According to a report by the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC), Shell’s operations have plagued the community with environmental degradation, health issues, and loss of livelihoods.
The report highlights the severe impact of Shell’s operations on the community, including that Over 1.5 million people impacted by hydrocarbon pollution, Communities exposed to cancer-causing chemicals like chromium and benzene, exceeding World Health Organization safety limits, Contamination of primary water sources, forcing residents to rely on polluted creeks and ponds, Soil samples revealing extremely high levels of total Petroleum Hydrocarbons among several others.
The CSOs, including the International Working Group on Petroleum Pollution and Just Transition in the Nigeria Delta (IWG), Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Social Action Nigeria, and Legal Advocates United, are backing the community’s demands.
The plaintiffs in a case instituted against Shell, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Attorney General of the Federation and the Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited are seeking a declaration that the divestment is unlawful, an injunction restraining Shell from finalizing the transaction until legal obligations are met, and an order compelling the government to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities to uphold environmental and human rights
King Dakolo alleged that Shell operated in the kingdom with “reckless disregard for life, law, and legacy,” causing catastrophic environmental damage, destroying livelihoods, and harming the health of community members through unremediated oil spills.
“This case is not just about me or my kingdom. It is about justice for the entire Niger Delta. I live with the constant light that has obliterated the night, the noise and the poison in the air. My people drink from polluted streams and farmlands laced with crude.”
“Our children breathe soot, our people now suffer from cancers and unexplained diseases that were unknown before oil came”, he lamented
Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of HOMEF, emphasised that the lawsuit is about a community asserting its rights and resisting annihilation.
“The findings of the BSOEC make the situation painfully clear. Shell’s legacy is one of death zones, toxic exposure, loss of livelihoods and denial of dignity. That is why we stand in unwavering solidarity with His Royal Majesty King Bubaraye Dakolo and the people of Ekpetiama”
The stakeholders also expressed concern over reproductive health challenges, early menopause, and a declining youth population in the state, highlighting the need for urgent action to address the environmental and health impacts of Shell’s operations.
