It has been reported that the British multinational oil company, Shell, actively continued to pump oil through a Nigerian pipeline despite known and internally-reported evidence that proved the pipeline was causing widespread pollution.
As per BBC News, a slate of files and evidence, including emails and presentations, have been acquired that prove Shell executives were cautioned about the polluting pipeline as far back as early 2008, and yet despite the risks being shared, decided to continue pumping millions of barrels of oil through the line.
The line is regarded as one of Shell's main pipelines in Africa and stretches 60 miles across the Niger Delta, an area that has routinely faced oil spills and issues that continue to leave a lasting and horrifying impact on the environment and ecosystem.
The report states the line was prone to spills and was frequently targeted by oil thieves, which Shell refutes by claiming it was frequently investing in the line to rectify these issues, all before it sold the line off last year.
This revealing information has seen some come forward to talk about the impact the line has had on the environment, noting that the fish population has collapsed and that any marine life that is caught now appears deformed. Local communities want action and repercussions from Shell, with an international lawsuit being posed where claimants are looking for $250 million in compensation alongside a further $750 million put aside to clean up the environment.