A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ordered an international oil company to pay N2.5 billion in compensation to 12 fishing communities in Ogoni Land, Rivers State, following a decade-long legal battle over pipeline oil spills that devastated their fisheries and farmlands.
The judgement, delivered by Justice Chukwuemeka Nwosu, described the environmental damage as systematic, foreseeable, and preventable, and found that the company had failed to respond adequately to reported pipeline leaks on at least seven occasions between 2014 and 2022.
Lead counsel for the communities, Barrister Oritsegbemi Tamuno, called the ruling a landmark moment for environmental justice in Nigeria, while cautioning that enforcement of the judgement would require continued legal vigilance.
Community spokeswoman Mrs. Comfort Kobani wept as she addressed journalists outside the court: We have waited ten years for this day. Our children grew up without fish. Our elders died waiting. Today we have justice -- but we also know the fight is not over.
The oil company said it would study the judgement and consider an appeal. Environmental Rights Action (ERA) has urged the Federal Government to ensure the compensation is paid promptly and that an independent environmental remediation plan is implemented alongside the financial settlement.
