A landmark trial has opened at the High Court in London against Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (RAEC), the firm that recently acquired Shell’s onshore Nigerian operations, over claims that the clean-up of two catastrophic oil spills in the Niger Delta remains grossly inadequate—17 years after the events.
At the heart of the case are two massive oil spills in 2008 from pipelines operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), then a subsidiary of Shell. The spills, which leaked an estimated 600,000 barrels of oil into the Bodo community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria, are said to have caused the largest ever recorded loss of mangrove habitat due to oil pollution. Experts have described the environmental damage as possibly the worst ever caused by oil spills globally.
Despite Shell’s admission of responsibility in 2014 and a £55 million settlement with the Bodo community to support compensation and clean-up, the plaintiffs claim the clean-up effort remains grossly inadequate. Independent expert evidence submitted by the community alleges that only 7% of the oil has been removed from the contaminated environment and that hazardous levels of pollution persist, posing long-term health risks to more than 30,000 residents.
Oil company Renaissance, which took over Shell’s Nigerian onshore assets in March 2025, will now face trial from Thursday, May 5, to Friday, May 13, at the High Court. The community contends that this is their final opportunity to compel responsible parties to comprehensively address the environmental damage and restore their devastated ecosystem and livelihoods.
Bodo, a fishing and farming town inhabited by the Ogoni people, has long been associated with severe oil spills. In the case now before the court, the community alleges that the 2008 spills were left uncontained for over two months. They claim that Shell, fully aware of the situation, continued to pump oil through the affected pipelines, exacerbating the environmental catastrophe.
Following initial legal action and settlement in 2015, the Bodo community agreed to pause litigation in hopes that a clean-up mediated by the Dutch government would restore their land. However, the plaintiffs say the process has been slow, ineffective, and far below international standards. The ongoing contamination, they argue, has left mangroves unrecovered and the soil and water unsafe for farming or fishing—devastating their traditional way of life.
After raising concerns about the clean-up quality in 2023 and requesting an independent review, which Shell reportedly refused, the community commissioned its own scientific assessment. That analysis, conducted in internationally accredited laboratories, allegedly reveals significant remaining contamination. According to the plaintiffs, Shell’s own pollution testing methods are unreliable and its clean-up approach flawed.
Shell, meanwhile, maintains that the operation—described as the largest of its kind globally—is nearly complete and has been a success. But the trial is expected to hear extensive evidence challenging that claim, with expert witnesses arguing that the clean-up does not meet environmental standards and has failed to mitigate the pollution.
Renaissance, the current defendant, inherited the liability following Shell’s sale of SPDC. The Bodo community has voiced concern that Shell’s divestment may hinder the enforcement of any court-ordered clean-up or remediation. They fear the move may be part of a broader attempt by Shell to walk away from decades of environmental damage in the Niger Delta without fulfilling its responsibilities.
The legal team representing the Bodo community is from international law firm Leigh Day, led by partner Daniel Leader and solicitor Steven Bilko, with barristers Jeremy Hyam KC, Joanna Buckley, Emma Foubister, and Hayley Webster also involved in the case.
Chief Polycarp Gbaraba, Chairman of the Council of Chiefs of Bodo, said: “We cannot understand how one of the world’s richest companies can destroy the environment of our community and is now seemingly trying to walk away without properly cleaning up. These huge oil spills have totally destroyed our environment and ruined our livelihoods.
“Shell admitted responsibility for the pollution in 2014. Yet, more than a decade later, we are still having to fight to get the oil companies responsible to carry out a thorough clean-up.
“It is not too much to ask that our environment should be restored and that we can live without fear of illness caused by Shell’s oil. We trust that we will finally get justice from the English courts.”
Leigh Day’s Daniel Leader added: “At the heart of this trial are two huge oil spills in 2008 which destroyed the Bodo community’s environment and put the health of around 30,000 local people at risk. Our clients will present evidence which they believe shows Shell’s clean-up has only removed 7% of the oil from the ground and that, 17 years after the spills, the operation is still incomplete.
“The Bodo community has sought to find a way forward without the need to return to court but Shell has flatly refused to engage. That is why the community has had to bring this matter to trial to ensure that Shell, and the company that purchased its Nigerian operations, cannot simply walk away from the pollution they caused without cleaning it up.”
The community is demanding a new, comprehensive clean-up, which experts estimate could cost Renaissance around £450 million ($600 million USD). If the court rules in the community’s favour, they may be awarded funding for an independent clean-up or receive a binding directive compelling the company to meet higher environmental standards.
The outcome of the case could have far-reaching implications not only for Shell and Renaissance but also for other Niger Delta communities seeking redress. Leigh Day is also representing the Ogale and Bille communities in similar lawsuits against Shell/Renaissance, with judgment pending in those matters following a preliminary hearing in February 2025.