The struggle for justice in Ogoni
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Aug 4, 2011
Here is a heartfelt comment piece in The Guardian on the local reaction in Ogoni to Shell’s oil spill payout. Shell has admitted liability but has a long way to go to make amends Oil spills destroyed my village in Nigeria and decades of environmental and social injustice are still to be addressed. By Patrick...
The Biggest Oil Spill in the World
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Aug 4, 2011
PLATFORM featured on Channel 4 News this evening, providing analysis on two current news stories – the revelations of the full extent of environmental devastation in Ogoni land contained in the UN’s new report, and Shell’s admission of liability for two recent oil spills in Bodo, Ogoniland. Campaigner Ben Amunwa helped provide background research as the story...
Shell to blame: Nigeria oil spills case creates media storm
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Aug 3, 2011
Shell’s environmental devastation in the Niger Delta came under heavy scrutiny today, as global media attention focused on the company’s admission of liability for two devastating oil spills in Nigeria in 2008-9. Here is a round-up of press coverage so far. Current estimates suggest that Shell could pay our over $410 million (£250m) in compensation....
Breaking: Shell admits liability for 2 oil spills in Nigeria
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Aug 3, 2011
In a potentially ground-breaking development, The Guardian reported today that Shell has accepted liability for two massive oil spills which devastated farmland in Bodo, Ogoniland in 2008. Shell faces a bill of hundreds of millions of dollars after accepting full liability for two massive oil spills that devastated a Nigerian community of 69,000 people and may...
Report: 2 Protesters Shot and Gov’t Official Killed in Ogoniland
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Jun 16, 2011
Disturbing news has emerged that on Sunday 12 June, 2 Ogoni youth were reportedly shot dead by Nigerian police following a protest against the relocation of Bori Camp military base to Ogoniland. A government official who was backing the Rivers State Government’s plan was also reported killed in a retaliation. Saharareporter’s investigations revealed that trouble...
Event: “Violence on Trial”
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Apr 26, 2011
Violence on Trial Thursday, April 28 · 6:00pm – 11:30pm Resistance Gallery, 265 Poyser Street, London E2 9RF Alongside a host of exciting speakers, PLATFORM will be presenting on oil, insurgency and “corporate violence” in Nigeria and beyond. Using the crisis between the Ogoni and Shell as a starting point, PLATFORM will be discussing the...
UN Blames Media for Shell Scandal
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Aug 25, 2010
UNEP has found another person to blame for its troubles in Ogoniland: it’s all the media’s fault. After presenting Shell’s disputed oil spill data as fact, the Port Harcourt-based team of 100 scientists denied allegations that their report will clear Shell of responsibilty for the majority of oil spills. Nick Nuttal, spokeperson for UNEP, blamed...
What’s Shell & UNEP Hiding in Nigeria?
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Aug 23, 2010
As any child educated in Nigeria will tell you, oil was discovered in Oloibiri, Nigeria in 1956. Oil spills in Nigeria date back to those early days of exploration and production and increased significantly with the expansion of infrastructure onshore and offshore in 1970s. All the more shocking then that Mike Cowing, the UNEP’s leading expert on...
UN Report Accused of Bias
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Aug 22, 2010
The top story in The Guardian today is the global outrage at a UNEP study which ‘exonerates’ Shell for oil spills in Nigeria. What started as an environmental audit of Ogoniland has become another manipulative PR strategy. A three-year investigation by the United Nations will almost entirely exonerate Royal Dutch Shell for 40 years of oil pollution in...
UNEP Report: More Harm Than Good?
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Aug 22, 2010
There are some things that the debate over oil spills in Nigeria cannot change. Under Nigerian law, Shell has principal responsibility to clean up all spills from its facilities, regardless of whether the cause is sabotage or neglect. And Shell has all the resources and technology to stop these spills from happening. If the UNEP...
Delta Activists Assaulted and Illegally Detained by Nigerian Police
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Apr 9, 2010
Frontline human rights defenders in the Niger Delta suffered a brutal police attack on Monday 5th April, it emerged today in an Amnesty International statement. Activists from the Ogoni Solidarity Forum and Social Action were beaten, illegally detained without charge and denied access to lawyers and medical treatment. The text below is cross-posted from the Amnesty...
CNN Reports from Ogoniland, Nigeria
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Jun 1, 2009
CNN producer Christian Purefoy visits Ogoni and the grave of Ken Saro-Wiwa to report on the ongoing grievances against Shell, and the feeling of local Ogoni people about the upcoming Wiwa v. Shell trial. Includes interviews with the Ogoni Solidarity Forum. Embedded video from <a href=”http://www.cnn.com/video” mce_href=”http://www.cnn.com/video”>CNN Video</a>
