A Federal High Court in Abuja has given 21 days for the enforcement of the payment agreement for the sum of N46 billion by Shell to communities affected by the oil spill.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed on Wednesday directed Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Ltd to pay the sum of N45, 969,534,414.1 to the communities through their solicitor and partners’ account of Lucius E. Nwosu and others “details of which would be supplied to the plaintiffs and defendants solicitors.”
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The order followed the community’s filing of an “Affidavit of Facts/Acceptance of Settlement Sum and Variation of Payment Instructions” on 6th August 2021.
The Supreme Court had in 2001 ordered the oil giant to pay the compensation to spillage victims in Nchia in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State following a suit by Isaac Osaro Agbara.
But different appeals and suits both in Nigeria and the UK frustrated the compliance with the judgment sum, which counsel to the community, Lucius Nwosu (SAN) said the accruing interest for 31 years has reached N182 billion.
On Wednesday, counsel to Shell, Aham Ejelam (SAN) sought the court’s approval to pay the sum to the Chief Registrar of the court.
But in his ruling, Justice Mohammed ruled that the Supreme Court did not a direct payment to a third party, adding that it would amount to varying the judgment of the apex court to grant the application.
“This court has a duty to enforce the judgment of the Supreme Court under Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.
