Newly released internal documents have revealed that senior executives at Shell approved the continued operation of oil pipelines in Nigeria’s Niger Delta despite repeated warnings from engineers about environmental risks and the potential for major oil spills.
The documents, obtained by the BBC as part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit before the English High Court involving the Bille and Ogale communities in Rivers State, include internal emails, reports, presentations and company memos spanning several years.
According to the records, executives at Royal Dutch Shell (RDS), the company’s former parent organisation, were aware of extensive oil theft and hundreds of illegal pipeline connections between 2008 and 2013. Despite these concerns, production was allowed to continue in an effort to minimise operational disruptions.
The documents indicate that senior management approved exemptions from internal safety and environmental standards while permitting pipeline operations to continue in areas where engineers had raised concerns about infrastructure integrity and environmental exposure.
One email showed that Ann Pickard, then Executive Vice-President for Sub-Saharan Africa, responded after engineers recommended immediate action to remove illegal pipeline connections.
Pickard acknowledged that the decision was difficult but argued that maintaining operations represented what she considered the lower risk option.
“It was not an easy decision,” she wrote, adding that continuing operations represented the “lower risk to both people and the environment.”
“You are right, we may have to deal with it in the future,” she added.
However, internal correspondence revealed disagreement among company officials.
Vincent Holtam, then General Manager for Onshore Assets at Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, warned colleagues that the decision could create significant legal and environmental liabilities.
“I have no doubt that this audit will come out as UNACCEPTABLE, in which case we may be very exposed in disputing any oil loss claims from the Government or compensation claims from the community,” Holtam wrote.
The documents also referenced an internal initiative known as “Project Madrid,” which reportedly developed strategies aimed at maintaining production despite growing concerns over crude oil theft, pipeline tampering and environmental risks.
One internal presentation reportedly warned that continued operations under such conditions could expose the company to allegations that it was “knowingly polluting” the environment.
The records further revealed discussions about public relations strategies focused on directing attention toward oil theft and illegal refining activities while reducing scrutiny of allegations that the company had failed to remove illegal pipeline connections.
The revelations come as Shell faces legal action in the United Kingdom over allegations of environmental damage linked to oil spills in the Niger Delta.
The case has renewed scrutiny of Shell’s longstanding position that responsibility for environmental damage rested primarily with its former Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
However, the newly disclosed documents suggest that senior executives at Royal Dutch Shell were directly involved in decisions relating to pipeline operations and environmental risk management within Nigeria.
The records cover a period between 2008 and 2013, when crude oil theft and illegal connections to oil infrastructure were widespread across the Niger Delta.
Environmental advocates say the disclosures raise fresh questions about corporate accountability, governance practices and oversight of high-risk operations in one of the world’s most environmentally impacted oil-producing regions.
For decades, communities in the Niger Delta have complained about pollution, loss of livelihoods, destruction of farmlands and contamination of water sources linked to oil exploration and production activities.
According to United Nations estimates, at least 13 million barrels, equivalent to approximately 1.5 million tonnes, of crude oil have been spilled in more than 7,000 incidents across Nigeria since 1958.
Environmental degradation in the region gained global attention in 1995 following the execution of environmental activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists by the military regime of General Sani Abacha.
The activists had campaigned against environmental pollution and the impact of oil production on communities in Ogoniland. Their execution sparked widespread international condemnation and intensified calls for environmental justice in the Niger Delta.
The latest disclosures also come amid renewed efforts to address longstanding grievances in the region.
In 2025, Shell completed the sale of its Nigerian onshore subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, to Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings.
Earlier this year, President Bola Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser to coordinate discussions with Ogoni leaders aimed at fostering dialogue, consultation and reconciliation.
In June, the President also conferred national honours on Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogoni activists executed during the Abacha era, recognising their contributions to environmental advocacy and social justice.
As legal proceedings continue in the United Kingdom, the newly released documents are expected to intensify debate over corporate responsibility, environmental protection and the long-term consequences of oil production in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
