Nigeria: Shell documents reveal a 'colander' pipeline, missing wells, and $10.9 billion in environmental liabilities in the Niger Delta

Since the 1990s, the Niger Delta, Nigeria's oil heartland, has suffered from recurrent oil spills attributed to the activities of Shell and its local subsidiary SPDC. In 2024, the Anglo-Dutch group sold its onshore oil assets to the Renaissance consortium, hoping to turn the page on the issue. However, legal proceedings opened in the UK have revived the case. According to an investigation by Premium Times relayed by AllAfrica, internal Shell documents disclosed in this trial reveal a pipeline nicknamed 'basket' due to its multiple leaks, oil wells missing from registries, and a decommissioning liability estimated at $10.9 billion. These revelations raise a crucial question: who should bear the cost of cleanup among Shell, Renaissance, and the Nigerian state? For local communities, already engaged in legal actions such as the Bille and Ogale cases before British courts, these documents provide additional evidence of decades of alleged negligence. This case illustrates the difficulty of holding an oil group environmentally accountable after its withdrawal, questions Renaissance's financial strength in the face of colossal liabilities, and tests Nigeria's ability to enforce its rules in a sector key to its foreign exchange earnings.