Shell is accused of covering up negligence

ABUJA: Amnesty International has accused international oil majors Shell and Eni of negligence when addressing spills in Nigeria.

Describing their actions as “serious negligence”, Amnesty said the companies were “taking weeks to respond to reports of spills and publishing mis- leading information about the cause and severity of spills, which may result in communities not receiving compensation”.

A Shell spokesman said Amnesty’s allegations “are false, without merit and fail to recognise the complex environment in which the com- pany operates”.

Clean-ups, and the associated compensation, are highly contentious, with some local communities even blocking teams’ access to spill sites, allowing the damage to worsen, in the hope of extracting a bigger pay-out. – Reuters/African News Agency (ANA)