Shell oil spills trigger human rights crisis in Nigeria's Niger Delta

The Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, one of the world’s largest wetlands and a crucial oil‑producing region, has endured decades of oil spills, gas flaring and waste dumping. These environmental harms have jeopardised the water, health, food and livelihoods of millions who depend on the region’s creeks, rivers and mangrove forests.

Amnesty International’s investigation finds that Shell’s operations – active since 1958 across roughly 50 fields and an extensive pipeline network – have created a human‑rights crisis. The agency says the company has exploited weak local regulations, failing to adopt adequate safeguards and leaving communities without effective remedies.

The report also recalls the legacy of activist Ken Saro‑Wiwa, whose 1990s campaign highlighted the social costs of oil extraction and whose execution, along with the “Ogoni Nine,” underscored the historic struggle over environmental justice in the Delta.