THOUSANDS of Nigerians whose communities were damaged by Shell oil spills are to fight on after losing the latest stage of their legal battle to have compensation claims heard in English courts.

Last year, the High Court in London ruled that the damages claims would have to be heard in Nigeria, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal today by two to one.

Judges ruled that the Shell parent company could not be held liable for the actions of its Nigerian subsidiary.

Actions against the oil giant have been brought on behalf of the Ogale community, of around 40,000 people, and 2,000 people from the Bille kingdom.

The Court of Appeal held that the two claims against Royal Dutch Shell were “bound to fail because it was not arguable that [Shell] owed them a duty of care.”

Amnesty International campaigner Joe Westby said that the communities would take their appeal to the Supreme Court.

“The idea that powerful multinationals are not responsible for the conduct of their subsidiaries overseas has allowed Shell to evade accountability for a raft of shocking human rights abuses spanning decades,” he said.