From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has been asked to compel the federal government to nationalise and take over the assets and investments of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Limited and all her sister companies.
The applicant in the suit, Patriotic Youth Organisation, urged the court to order the federal government to nationalise Shell assets and investments.
In the originating summons filed by the group through their lawyer, Mark Ezugwu, Shell is accused of being behind the depreciation of the naira, with their activities allegedly responsible for the dwindling foreign revenue of the federal government as oil is the main source of income for the federal government.
Apart from the federal government, other defendants in the case are the Attorney-General of the Federation, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell Western Supply And Trading Limited, Shell International Trading And Shipping Company Limited and Shell Exploration And Production Company Limited.
The plaintiff also alleged that insecurity could have been better tackled if the government had more resources and that President Muhammadu Buhari would have completed most federal projects if Shell had not wrongfully diverted and unlawfully converted crude oil pumped into the Bonny Oil Terminal.
The group commended the DPR Director Mr Sarki Auwalu for insisting that the right thing be done and ensuring that President Buhari’s “Change” agenda is carried out to the letter.
No date has been set for the hearing of the matter.