"Royal Dutch Shell has agreed a $15.5 million out-of-court settlement in a case accusing it of complicity in human rights abuses in Nigeria.

It was brought by relatives of nine anti-oil campaigners, including author Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were hanged in 1995 by Nigeria's then military rulers.

The oil giant strongly denies any wrongdoing and says the payment is part of a 'process of reconciliation'. ...

The case alleged that Shell was complicit in murder, torture and other abuses by Nigeria's former military government against campaigners in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others were members of the Ogoni ethnic group from the Niger Delta. They had been campaigning for the rights of the local people and protesting at pollution caused by the oil industry.

They were executed after being convicted by a military tribunal over the 1994 murder of four local leaders."

BBC News had the story June 9, 2009. [2]

See Also:

Shell Settles (Wall Street Journal) [3]

Shell, Nigerian Families Settle (Reuters) [4]