Benue State University, Makurdi

Is Justice Ever Truly Served? The Nigerian Judiciary and Oil Pollution and Environmental Cases in Nigeria

Ayodele Morocco-Clarke*

Abstract

Over the years, there have been a plethora of cases instituted by disgruntled and aggrieved litigants against petroleum companies in Nigeria. The common thread of these suits relates to liability for pollution alongside consequential compensation, and the courts are called upon to adjudicate over such disputes. The gravamen of litigants is that when it comes to legal actions against oil companies in the country, justice is slow in coming, if it comes at all or that justice is for sale to the highest bidder. This paper takes an in-depth look at the decisions of the courts in numerous cases involving oil companies, delays within the justice system and also the reputation the judiciary has garnered whilst dispensing justice. It also deals with issues of the enforcement of judgments/rulings and the non-compliance with such judgments by government and powerful State actors. It culminates by proffering recommendations and solutions to ensure that justice is not truncated, and litigants are not left feeling powerless and cheated or robbed.

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