Amnesty International has hailed the start of a landmark trial over catastrophic oil spills in the Niger Delta as a “historic moment” for the Bodo community, which has fought nearly two decades for justice.

The trial opens Thursday against Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (RAEC), the firm that took over Shell’s onshore oil operations in Nigeria after the oil giant divested in March 2025.

The case seeks accountability for environmental destruction caused by two major spills from poorly maintained Shell pipelines in 2008, which devastated vast mangrove habitats and crippled local livelihoods.

“Almost two decades since oil spills by Shell’s then-subsidiary, SPDC, devastated huge swathes of mangrove habitat, the Bodo community has a final chance for justice,” said Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria Director.

“Shell admitted responsibility over a decade ago, but their promised clean-up is far from complete. Contamination still poses serious health risks to tens of thousands of people. It is shameful that it has taken so long and required legal action for those responsible to face their obligations. This trial is long overdue and should finally deliver the justice and remediation the Bodo people deserve. A just transition to clean energy must include holding polluters accountable for past harm.”

In 2008, two massive oil spills occurred in a creek near Bodo, with crude oil leaking continuously for five weeks on each occasion.

Shell reached a settlement with the community in 2014 but has yet to clean up the heavily polluted waterways, despite a mediation process launched in 2015.

After years of legal wrangling, the UK Court of Appeal ruled in October 2024 in favour of Nigerian communities, clearing the way for a full trial.

The claim against RAEC asserts that Shell cannot avoid liability for decades of pollution by simply selling its assets.

Over the last 20 years, Amnesty International has extensively documented the environmental and human rights toll of Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta.

Its 2023 report, ‘Nigeria: Tainted Sale?,’ warned that Shell’s divestment could leave affected communities without recourse if strong safeguards were not in place.

To mark the opening of the trial, Amnesty International UK and Niger Delta activists will stage a performance of Unborn Soliloquy, voiced by women from Bodo and unveil the Palm of the Earth sculpture outside the Royal Courts of Justice at 9:00 a.m. BST on 8 May. Solidarity events will also take place in the Bodo community in Nigeria. (AriseNews)