Shell must answer for decades of pollution in the Niger Delta after internal company documents revealed broken rules, failing infrastructure and unresolved clean-up costs that risk leaving affected communities to pay the price, a coalition of human rights and environmental organisations, including Amnesty International, said today in a new report.
The report,
Nigeria: Lifting the Lid
, analyses internal Shell emails, audits, presentations and confidential reviews disclosed in UK legal proceedings, revealing a wider human rights scandal than previously reported. While Shell presented its operations as meeting global standards, the documents point to concerns raised by the Nigerian army over alleged complicity in oil theft, suspected staff and contractor collusion, exemptions from safety standards, chronic neglect of known pipeline integrity risks, missing well data, weak leak detection and flawed spill monitoring.
Shell knew the risks from ageing and leaking infrastructure, including an old pipeline internally described as “a basket” [case], yet kept oil flowing. It later decided to divest its onshore business rather than face the enormous cost of clean-up and decommissioning, including an internal US$10.9 billion decommissioning estimate. A separate internal presentation stated that 375km² of mangrove forest had been harmed by pollution.
Amnesty International wrote to Shell on 3 July 2026 to share its findings related to the disclosed documents. In response to Amnesty’s report, Shell wrote that: “The characterisation and portrayal of Shell in your letter is not one we recognise. Shell is committed to honesty, integrity and respect for people, and to conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner.” Shell says that the findings do not reflect the “challenging operating environment in the Niger Delta at the time”. Their full response is included in the report.
“Shell has long blamed oil theft and sabotage for pollution in the Niger Delta. But these d
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