Shell admits arming Nigerian police

By Norm Dixon The Shell oil company has been forced to admit that it imported weapons to help Nigerian police "protect" its oil installations in Ogoniland after the Nigerian press revealed the company had called for tenders from arms suppliers. The admission makes a mockery of Shell's loud claims, in the aftermath of the execution of environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa, that it did not interfere in Nigeria's internal politics. Shell was widely accused of collaboration with the military regime to suppress opposition to its oil operations in the Niger delta region. Shell executive Eric Nickson defended the company's practice of directly arming police by pointing out that "a wide range of companies in Nigeria" import weapons for the police. Heavily armed police have instituted a reign of terror in Ogoniland for many years in defence of Shell's operations. In 1990, riot police swept into the village of Umechem at the request of Shell to suppress a peaceful demonstration. At least 15 people were killed. The South African-Nigerian Democratic Support Group, which has spearheaded the campaign against Shell in southern Africa, said in a statement: "These latest revelations shatter the claims by Shell that they neither benefit from the continuation of military rule, nor contribute to it. Shell has revealed that in addition to their failure to condemn the Abacha regime, they have actively provided his security forces with arms ... Since it is clear that Shell does indeed play a political role in Nigeria, we demand that Shell uses the substantial leverage it has in Nigeria to push for a restoration of democracy." The group demanded that Shell suspend its participation in a massive natural liquid gas project, announced just weeks after Saro-Wiwa's execution.

From GLW issue 219