AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A court in the Netherlands said it would hear a case against supermajor Royal Dutch Shell brought by Nigerian farmers complaining of environmental damage.
A group of four Nigerian farmers complained a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell was responsible for environmental damage from oil spills in the Niger Delta region.
The farmers are asking Shell for financial compensation and pledges from the company that it would clean up the polluted areas.
The company counters that the spills, which occurred in Bayelsa state in 2005, were the result of sabotage from Niger Delta militants holding deep grievances with oil companies in the region.
Shell said it was not responsible for the environmental damage and claims the Dutch court has no authority to hear the case, the BBC reports.
"We believe there are good arguments on the basis of which the district court could have concluded that it lacks jurisdiction in respect of these purely Nigerian matters," the company complained.
Shell earlier this year agreed to pay off Nigerians who said their rights were abused in the Niger Delta but denied any responsibility in the case.
