US Court Clears Chevron over 1998 Shootings in Nigeria…
Ok, maybe I am a bit confused as I didn’t really get the memo, but isn’t Nigeria a country with a working judiciary? We are neither a failed state, nor are we one where there is no such thing as the rule of law.
Consequently, why on earth should Chevron be sued in the United States by Nigerians over activities carried out in Nigeria by Nigerians?
I understand that the justice system in the US is a bit faster, and dare I say more sympathetic to ruling in favor of all sorts of frivolous lawsuits, but still, come on.
Anyway, a few excerpts from the Los Angeles Times:
A federal jury Monday cleared Chevron Corp. of any responsibility in the shooting of Nigerian villagers by military forces during a protest at an offshore oil platform, concluding a closely watched case brought under a seldom-invoked 1789 law allowing foreigners to sue in the United States.
Survivors of the 1998 incident had argued that the oil company should be held accountable because it paid the police and soldiers and transported them by helicopter to the oil platform, where they shot and killed two unarmed protesters and wounded two others.
San Ramon-based Chevron, California’s largest company, countered that the villagers were holding workers hostage at the platform and that the company acted responsibly by calling in local authorities to protect them.
I guess I might as well sue Schlumberger for damages as in 1992, one of their US Based employees, who flew in on the company dime on company business bumped into me at Murtala Muhammed Airport, thereby causing me grave psychological and emotional distress. Just kidding, but seriously…
If Nigerians have issues with things that happen in Nigeria, they should seek redress through the Nigerian justice system and not via the justice system in the USA or wherever else…
As for Larry Bowoto, one of the militants who seized the platform, he should consider himself lucky for even being alive, if there is one thing the Nigerian military is notorious for, it is mindless brutality and in many instances, death.
Posted by Naija Pundit
