A court in the Netherlands has ruled against four Nigerian widows in their lawsuit against oil giant Shell over the execution of their husbands by Nigeria’s military government in 1995.
The men had been part of a group of nine activists involved in peaceful protests against pollution caused by oil leaks in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta. Best known among them was author Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Dubbed the “Ogoni nine”, they were hanged after a secret trial which saw them being convicted of murdering four traditional leaders. They denied the charge, saying they had been framed.
The judges in The Hague said there was not enough evidence to support the widows’ claim that Shell had been involved in bribing witnesses whose testimony contributed to their conviction.
Two of the widows – Victoria Bera and Esther Kioble – were in court for the ruling, reports the BBC’s Anna Holligan from The Hague.
They had sat patiently in the front row – waiting almost three decades for justice.
Outside the courtroom Ms Kioble told the BBC she was happy her voice had been heard. She had testified in court in 2019, explaining how her husband death had left her traumatized.
She told Reuters she aimed to appeal: “I want their names exonerated. That’s what I want and that’s what I’m fighting for.”
Ms Bera said she would continue to fight the Ogoni people’s battle against oil pollution.
Shell paid out more than $15m (£11.4m) to the dead men’s families in 2009 without acknowledging any wrong doin.
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