At last, justice has come the way of the people of Ogoniland in Rivers State after one of the International Oil Companies (IOC) operating in the Niger Delta, Shell Petroleum Company (SPC) bowed to a court order and accepted to pay a N45.9bn compensation over oil spillage that ravaged the communities between 2008 and 2009.
The landmark judgement was given on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, following a protracted suit involving the multi-national oil company and the Ogoni people which took the communities as far as a High Court in the United Kingdom in search of justice.
At the resumed hearing in Abuja, the oil company finally agreed to work out the compensation to the people for the loses suffered during the oil spillage that ravaged their communities.
According to the judgement delivered by Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the Federal High Court, the monetary compensation ordered 10 years ago will be paid to the Ogonis through their lawyer, Chief Lucius Nwosu.
Accepting the judgement through its lawyer, Chief A. O. Ejelamo (SAN) Shell Petroleum Company announced the decision to pay up the money while addressing Mohammed.
The senior lawyer, however, sought the order of Justice Mohammed to permit payment of the debt through the Chief Registrar of the court in a bank account to be opened for the purpose.
The compensation had earlier been awarded in favour of the Ogoni people by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Lagos Division of the Federal High court on June 14, 2010, in his judgment in a suit filed by the Ogoni people.
However, the Ogonis waived the interest on the principal amount as concession agreed upon during reconciliation.