Nigeria, Sept. 1 -- Some experts at the United Nations on Sunday said that recent sale of oil assets by International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria "lacked transparency," raising concerns about human rights impacts and hindering efforts to clean up pollution and compensate communities.

A statement by the Polluter Pays Project, a non-profit organisation that works to ensure that the oil and gas industry cleans up its mess, disclosed that the UN experts made their position known in letters addressed to Shell, Eni, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies.

The letters confirmed responsibility by the oil companies for historic pollution and accused the companies of using "Nigeria as an experiment for divestment without clean-up", the non-profit said....