Shell Building Private Army In Nigeria?

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell plc spent nearly $383 million, between 2007 and 2009, to protect its oil installations and staff in Nigeria, revealed London-based oil watchdog Platform on Sunday, with part of the money alleged to have gone into a 1,200-member private security force, which has been accused of human rights violations in the past.

According to a Guardian report, the world’s largest company by revenue had spent nearly $1 billion on worldwide security between 2007 and 2009; while 40 percent of the total cost had gone into security in Nigeria’s volatile Niger Delta region.

Nearly $65 million of the sum had also gone into paying 1,300 government forces – from the Nigerian military and the infamous “kill and go” police – to guard Shell’s facilities in 2009, Platform said – which in turn has supplemented Shell’s own private security, who are believed to be a mixture of private security firms and individuals.

“The scale of Shell’s global security expenditure is colossal,” told Ben Amunwa, of Platform, to the Guardian. “It is staggering that Shell transferred $65 million of company funds and resources into the hands of soldiers and police known for routine human rights abuses.”

During the period, Amunwa added, Shell’s security spending fuelled conflict and enabled systematic human rights abuses by government forces and armed militants.

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