Amnesty International is accusing oil giant Shell of complicity in human
rights violations carried out by the Nigerian military in the 1990s.
In an 89-page
report published Tuesday, Amnesty called for a criminal investigation
of Shell after reviewing thousands of company documents and statements from
witnesses. The documents demonstrate, Amnesty alleged, that Shell aided a
Nigerian military campaign to silence protesters who sought to bring attention
to the the effects of pollution in the oil-rich Ogoniland region.
Among the allegations in the report are claims that Shell operated a team
of undercover police officers who were trained by Nigeria’s state security
service. The unit was allegedly tasked with conducting surveillance on Ogoni
activists resisting the exploitation of their land by corporate interests.
The report also asserts that Shell provided “logistical support” to
the country’s military, which was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Ogoni people in
the early 1990s. The internal company documents, which HuffPost also reviewed, appear
to show that Shell paid an “honorarium” as a “show of gratitude” to a military
commander whose troops had engaged in a “bloody clash” with villagers several
months prior.
“The evidence we have reviewed shows that Shell repeatedly encouraged the
Nigerian military to deal with community protests, even when it knew the
horrors this would lead to – unlawful killings, rape, torture, the burning of
villages,” Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty’s director of global issues, said in a statement.
“In the midst of this brutal crackdown Shell even provided the military
with material support, including transport,” she continued, adding “and in at
least one instance paid a military commander notorious for human rights
violations.”
Shell has categorically denied the allegations.
Activists from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP),
a group spearheaded by Nigerian author and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, had been
lobbying the government for several years to grant Ogoniland political and
economic autonomy. Their campaign lead Shell to announce in 1993 that it was
ending operations in Ogoniland, citing security concerns, but the company
ultimately moved forward with plans to build a new pipeline through the region.
Ensuing protests gave rise to a brutal crackdown by Nigeria’s military
police, which, according to Amnesty’s report, included raids on Ogoni villages,
torture and rape of Ogoni men and women, as well as the killings of roughly
1,000 people. In 1995, Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists were hanged following an internationally discredited
trial, which led to Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth. In 2009, Shell agreed
to pay a $15.5 million settlement after being accused of
collaborating in the executions.
Amnesty alleged that Shell was aware of the military’s human rights
violations in the 1990s and that a former regional head of security for the
company had even provided information to the country’s internal security agency
that aided in the crackdown.
Gaughran said Amnesty was “preparing a criminal file to submit to the
relevant authorities, with a view to prosecution.”
Shell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in a
statement sent to The Guardian, a representative for the Shell
Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) said the company strongly
denied the allegations.
“The executions of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his fellow Ogonis in 1995 were
tragic events that were carried out by the military government in power at the
time,” the spokesperson said. “We were shocked and saddened when we heard the
news. Shell appealed to the Nigerian government to grant clemency. To our deep
regret, that appeal, and the appeals made by many others … went unheard.”
The representative pointed to Shell’s company values of “honesty,
integrity and respect for people” and called Amnesty’s claims “false and
without merit.”
“SPDC did not collude with the authorities to suppress community unrest
and in no way encouraged or advocated any act of violence in Nigeria,” the
representative added. “We believe that the evidence will show clearly that
Shell was not responsible for these tragic events.”
MOSOP, the Ogoni activist group, continues to have a presence in
Ogoniland, which has experienced numerous oil spills over the years resulting
in negative impacts on residents’ health and livelihoods. According to the
local Nigerian news site, the Daily Post, the organization gave the federal government an ultimatum earlier this
month, saying if it didn’t initiate a clean up of the region it would “face the
anger of the people.”
The Article Originally Appeared On HuffPost
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