Nigeria, July 24 -- The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has rejected the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the Ekpetiama Kingdom against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and other defendants over alleged decades of environmental pollution in Bayelsa State, calling the ruling a setback for environmental justice.

In a statement on Friday, the environmental advocacy organisation urged the Ekpetiama Kingdom to appeal the judgement, arguing that the Federal High Court in Yenagoa failed to determine the substantive issues raised in the case.

Justice Ayo Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, dismissed the suit (marked FHC/YNG/CS/8/2025) on 17 July. The traditional ruler of the Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo, f...