Oil theft in the Niger Delta doesn’t explain all the oil spills | Amnesty's global human rights blog

Oil theft in the Niger Delta doesn’t explain all the oil spills | Amnesty's global human rights blog:

 By Audrey Gaughran, Director of Global Thematic Issues at Amnesty International

There are currently two competing narratives about oil pollution in the Niger Delta.

The first is that oil companies, particularly Shell, are responsible for massive pollution caused by leaks from their operations and for the failure to clean up spills and protect their infrastructure from damage.

This narrative acknowledges that oil theft and sabotage of oil infrastructure occur and contribute to pollution; however it cautions that theft and sabotage, as causes of pollution, are over-stated by oil companies in a bid to deflect criticism about their environmental impact.