Slippery justice for victims of oil spills

nigeria oil 1

Oil drips from the hands of a man as he digs out crude spilled from a ruptured pipeline in the Niger Delta. In a blow to the legacy of martyred Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, a court at The Hague last year dismissed all but one of the lawsuits brought against Royal Dutch Shell by Saro-Wiwa and a group of Nigerian farmers seeking compensation for environmental damage caused by the company. This is the latest in a recent series of international rulings that uphold corporate impunity for ecological crimes and human rights abuses. Yemisi Akinbobola of Africa Renewal explores.

Photo: Panos/George Osodi

See full story