Who Will Clean Up Shell’s Mess in Nigeria?
The energy giant says it remedies spills it’s responsible for. Critics say a proposed sale of a subsidiary could help it avoid paying for countless leaks.
Hunting for crabs in the oil-laden mud of the Niger River Delta.
Photographer: Sadak Souici/Le Pictorium/MAXPPP/AlamyIn better times, Wir-Le Agbaalor worked his family’s small farm every day—weeding, watering or harvesting his cassava. But for more than a year now, he’s had little to show for his efforts because his fields have been covered in a thick, sticky coat of black crude oil.
A section of the Trans-Niger pipeline lies hidden in a copse about 100 feet from his land in the Niger River Delta. Built by Royal Dutch Shell Group in 1965, the link can transport 180,000 barrels a day and has been the source of countless spills over the years.