From Ben Dunno, Warri
The lead claimant/Executive Director of Oil Spill Victims Vanguard, (OSPIVV), Prince Harrison Jalla, has denied the recent claim by the management of Shell to have won the oil spill case it filed in 2011 against the company over the devastating effects of the damages caused by its alleged negligence in the impacted communities.
Prince Jalla, who debunked the claim in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri, yesterday, noted that there was no iota of truth in the media-sponsored victory report, describing it as diversionary and a calculated attempt by the multi-national oil company’s management to deceive the members of the public.
According to the statement; “The attention of the Oil Spill Victims Vanguard (OSPIVV), has been drawn to a newspaper caption ( Not Sun) of May 10, 2023, where the management of Shell claimed to have secured victory in the ongoing case of oil spill we instituted against it on behalf of the indigenes along Delta coastal areas and neighbouring states.”
“We want to state as follows: (1) That the UK Bonga oil spill case in claim No. HT-2017-000383 and HT-2020-000143 are still ongoing before Justice O’Farrel OBE, KC in the Business and Property courts of England and Wales Queens bench division) Technology and construction court. (2) That it is true that one leg of the matter that has to do with continuing tort was appealed to the UK supreme court by the claimants.”
“The subject matter of which the claimants are contending is that since Shell did not do any clean up of the Bonga oil spill of December 20 2011, that polluted their communities that the damage is accruing and it’s ongoing until date as long as the crude oil remains on their land.”
“However the Supreme Court disagreed with the claimants and ruled that the claimants can only be entitled to one-off damage claims within the limitation period of 5-6 years. The substantive matter remains and is ongoing before Justice O’Farrel.”
“We state further that the report is misleading and the purpose of this rejoinder is to put the record straight. Shell couldn’t have won a case in which they deliberately refused to file a defence since 2017”.
“We want to assure our people of Niger Delta that they should disregard such misleading information, be calm and wait for the final judgement which is imminent.”