by Keith Richmond
Activists in the delta region of Ogoniland in Nigeria have welcomed a $15.5m (£10 million) out of court settlement between the families of nine executed activists and the oil giant Shell.
The family of writer and environmental campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa, hanged by the Nigerian government in 1995, had accused Shell of being complicit in his death. They believe the government was acting, if not on the instructions, at least on behalf of multinational companies such as Shell. The company denies any wrongdoing and says the money is a “humanitarian gesture” and not an admission of culpability.
But Brian Anderson, managing director of Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, met Saro-Wiwa’s brother after his arrest and offered to get the author freed in exchange for an end to protests against the company.
Ledum Mitee, leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, said: “Any settlement in favour of the victims is welcome and this settlement signals a significant change from an oil company in Nigeria.
