France, Feb. 3 -- More than 11,000 Nigerians fromthe oil-producing Niger Delta have filed a compensation claimagainst energy giant Shell at the London High Court. it is the latest stepin a case that will test whether multinationals can be held toaccount for the actions of overseas subsidiaries.

In 2021, the UK Supreme Court allowed a group of 42,500Nigerian farmers and fishermen to sue Shell in the Englishcourts after years of oil spills had contaminated land andgroundwater.

The judges said at the time there was an arguable case thatShell- one of the world's biggest energy companies- wasresponsible because it exercised significant control over itsNigeria subsidiary SPDC.

On Thursday, UK law firm Leigh Day said it had filed claimson beh...