France, June 21 -- An influential traditional chief in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta has demanded that UK energy giant Shell pay $12 billion for environmental pollution before it leaves the region.

Bubaraye Dakolo of the Ekpetiama Kingdom appeared before a federal high court in the southern city of Yenagoa on Friday demanding reparations for clean-up after decades of environmental damages by Shell, according to a statement by a coalition of civil society groups.

Farming and fishing communities in the Niger Delta, the heartland of Nigeria's crude production, have fought years of legal battles over damage from oil spills in the area.

UK energy giant Shell is one of the companies accused for decades of causing serious environmental degra...