Worried by the unwillingness of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to compensate them over the April 15 oil leak incident from Shell's Kolo Creek oil fields that devastated their farms, the farmers impacted by the spill have decided to take their case to the court.
The farmers complained that members of a joint investigation committee to probe the cause and impact of the spill excluded their farms, despite efforts to draw the attention of the team to the impacted areas.
According to one of the fish farmers, Mr Aku Aseimo, whose three ponds were impacted, the affected farmers numbering over 50 have resolved to seek legal redress, following the adamant posture of the SPD.
Aseimo said: "This is a clear case of the strong and rich oil firm against the weak and poor farmers. They are claiming that the spill was caused by sabotage and abandoned the polluted environment.
"The regulations which they rely on to absolve themselves clearly stated that the operator of the field where pollution occurs cleans up the site, irrespective of the cause. But SPDC officials declined to capture our farms as impacted areas.
(DailyTrust)
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