Nigeria: Information on whether Shell Oil's private security guards were ordered to shoot to kill demonstrators or protesters on its property and whether those security guards carry AK-47 rifles
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA24023.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: Information on whether Shell Oil's private security guards were ordered to shoot to kill demonstrators or protesters on its property and whether those security guards carry AK-47 rifles, 1 June 1996, NGA24023.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abd514.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Reports specific to the above-mentioned subject could not found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
However, according to Agence France Press (AFP), the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SDPC) admitted to having "resorted to arming of policemen guarding the offices, residential quarters and areas operations of the company (8 Feb. 1996).
A spokesman for Shell claimed however that "Shell does not have arms itself" (The Houston Chronicle 30 Jan. 1996, 3). The two sources did not specify whether the arms bought by the Shell company are AK-47 rifles.
In a letter published in the Irish Times, Owens Wiwa, a brother of Ken Saro Wiwa accused, Shell of providing the Nigerian troops with weapons that are used to massacre Ogonis people and destroy their villages (17 May 1996, 2). He claimed also that he "personally saw a Shell hired helicopter involved in one such military action" (ibid.).
Please find additional attached articles which refer to accusations that Shell has imported weapons and provided support to the military in the oil-producing areas.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris]. 8 January 1996. "Shell in Nigeria Reports 600 Attacks in Two Years." (NEXIS)
The Houston Chronicle. 30 January 1996. Cameroon Duodu. "Oil Company Admits to Importing Guns for Nigerian Police." (NEXIS)
The Irish Times. 17 May 1996. "Shell and The Ogoni People." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris]. 8 January 1996. "Shell in Nigeria Reports 600 Attacks in Two Years." (NEXIS)
The Boston Globe. 16 February 1996. Derrick Z. Jackson. "A Shell Game in Nigeria." (NEXIS)
De Morgen [Brussels in Dutch]. 24 January 1996. Catherine Vuylsteke. "Nigeria: Brother Ogoni Leader Urges Boycott of Shell." (FBIS-AFR-96-017 25 Jan. 1996)
The Houston Chronicle. 30 January 1996. Cameroon Duodu. "Oil Company Admits to Importing Guns for Nigerian Police." (NEXIS)
The International Herald Tribune. 29 March 1995. Aminigboko. "A Nigerian Killing That's Also Rich in Oil." (NEXIS)
The Irish Times. 17 May 1996. "Shell and The Ogoni People." (NEXIS)