But Shell are completely responsible , that ' s what I ' m telling you . Have you ever heard of the legal precedent called ' The neighbour principle ', it is one of the most basic and most enshrined aspects of delict in the world ? It was first established in Scots law as a response to industrialisation , and spread across the British empire , which at the time included Nigeria who ' s law is based on British law principles . The principle is that one must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions that could reasonably be foreseen as likely to injure one ' s neighbour i . e . someone who should have reasonably been in your contemplation . It has been determined , and can therefore be reasonably foreseen that siphoning from oil pipelines and resulting leaks will occur as it has been seen historically , not only in Nigeria , it has happened in Britain as well as many other countries too many to list , but a quick google search will give you results . It is therefore an act of omission when the company fails to respond to the harm being caused by their business , i . e . the oil leaks and resulting damage to the environment and local people ' s health . Shell are responsible for cleaning up the damage to the environment cause by their business , as well as for compensating those people who have suffered harm as a result of their inaction . The bribes and corrupt government are an impediment for those people who have been harmed in getting recompense from the business that has harmed them however they are not the ones who have ownership or who are operating the pipeline that has caused the harm .