ABUJA, Nigeria, April 4 (UPI) -- Production wasn't affected and there were no confirmations of kidnappings during protests in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, a Shell official said.
Protesters in the Nembe community in the oil-rich Niger Delta staged a demonstration this week to protest the lack of electricity and other basic needs, saying Shell has a responsibility to the area's residents.
Protesters blocked Shell workers from reaching offshore rigs. Some workers were reportedly held by protesters before a Nembe leader intervened, the BBC reports.
"No production was affected," a Shell spokesman told the BBC. "No one was kidnapped or seized."
Around 11,000 villagers from the Bodo community in the Niger Delta filed suit in a London court against Shell last month, saying oil spills in the region devastated the regional fisheries industry.
In 2011, the Nigerian subsidiary of Shell claimed responsibility for oil spills of around 4,000 barrels in the region in 2008. The company said, however, the London case would delay payment and clean up efforts.
Nigeria has some of the richest oil deposits in the world.
