Shell bribes Nigerian soldiers for anti-environmentalist violence

This video about Nigeria is called The Case Against Shell: Landmark Human Rights Trial (Wiwa v. Shell).

Shell in Nigeria not only admits paying criminal non-governmental gangs for violence against protests against its pollution. It bribes governmental personnel as well. Sometimes to kill civilians.

Translated from Dutch daily De Volkskrant:

‘Shell pays Nigerian security forces’

By: Merijn van Nuland – 21/08/12, 06:00

Shell pays the Nigerian police and army tens of millions of euros to safeguard its oil business in the country. This is clear from leaked documents obtained by the British organization Platform, which monitors oil companies. According to Amnesty International Nigerian security forces are regularly involved in human rights violations.

…

Joint Task Force

“In 2009, $ 65 million went directly to the Nigerian security forces,” says Ben Amunwa, researcher for Platform. He got the information from a former Shell manager. “Part of that money went to the Joint Task Force (JTF), a partnership between navy, army and police.”

This military organization according to Amnesty is guilty of serious human rights violations. In 2005, JTF troops killed 17 people in an attack on the village Odioma. At least part of the villagers were unarmed.

Shell wants neither to confirm nor to deny that it finances Nigerian troops. …

Between 2007 and 2009, the amount which the Dutch-British oil company spent worldwide on security nearly doubled. One billion dollars went to security guards and security, about 40 percent of that was for Nigeria.

Unarmed

Shell also has 1200 Nigerian security employees. They are unarmed, because the Nigerian law prohibits the arming of private security guards. …

Shell blames the height of the Nigerian budget on sabotage against pipelines and illegal refineries. …

“Sabotage, that is the standard cop-out by Shell,” says Nicole Sprokel, spokeswoman for Amnesty, which has been campaigning against the way Shell produces oil in the Niger Delta. “Still, outdated pipelines and poor maintenance are part of the problem.”

See also here. And here.

Giant bribery trial against Shell and Eni opens in Milan: here.