Shell ordered to compensate Nigerian farmers

A Dutch appeals court has ordered oil giant Shell to pay compensation to Nigerian farmers who allege widespread pollution of their land because of oil spills.

"Shell Nigeria is sentenced to compensate farmers for damages," the AFP news agency reports the court as saying.

Its parent company, Royal Dutch Shell, is not liable for compensation but is for installing equipment to prevent future damage.

The case was brought against Shell by the four farmers and the Dutch arm of the environmental group Friends of the Earth, Milieudefensie.

It tweeted its great joy at winning the case after 13 years.

Milieudefensie said the amount of compensation would be decided at a later date.

The ruling could affect other Nigerians who have been affected by the oil spills, it added.

Two of the farmers have died since the case was first filed in 2008, according to AFP.

The case is linked to three spills in the southern Niger Delta:

• Goi in the Ogoniland region of Rivers State

• Oruma in Bayelsa State

• And Ikot Ada Udo in Akwa Ibom State.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AFP