In 1956 one of the world’s biggest oil companies – Shell – started drilling for oil in South-eastern Nigeria, an area inhabited by the indigenous Ogoni People. Despite numerous oil spills that polluted the land and water, robbing the Ogoni people of their livelihoods, Shell continued to drill with the Nigerian government as its business partner.

In 1993 the Ogoni people started peacefully protesting yet the Nigerian government, fearing Shell’s withdrawal, initiated a violent crackdown on Ogoni communities. They aimed to bring down the leaders of the MOSOP movement (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People), started in 1990 with writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa at its head. Following the crackdown, nine Ogoni men were arrested on unsubstantiated charges, submitted to a sham trial and then hanged.

Now, four wives of the Ogoni Nine are prosecuting Shell for its complicity in the unlawful arrest and detention of their husbands among other charges in the corporation’s home country of the Netherlands. One of these women is Esther Kiobel (pictured), wife of Barinem Kiobel, who was accused of inciting murder and sentenced to death on 30th October 1995. After pursuing legal cases against Shell for over 20 years, Esther is finally coming close to the end of her fight for justice by accusing Shell of colluding in the death of her husband.

This petition is calling on the University of Cambridge to cut all ties with Royal Dutch Shell; this includes accepting funding and permitting their presence at university events. Our university needs to hold itself to higher values than co-operating with a company that destroys lands of indigenous communities for profit. Shell has shown a blatant disregard for human rights that should be condemned, not ignored, by the university.

Help us seek justice for the Ogoni people. Together we can force Shell to account for its unforgivable human rights abuses. Shell cannot continue to deny accountability for its role in the murder of the Ogoni 9 and the repression of the Ogoni people's protests. If it were not for Shell's actions, in collaboration with the Nigerian government, these men would still be alive today.

Show your support by signing the petition and going to the Amnesty International Website for more information on the case: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/06/one-nigerian-widow-vs-shell/