The Supreme Court has dismissed an application filed by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited seeking to set aside a January 11, 2019 judgement of the court upholding damages to the tune of N17bilion awarded against the oil company.

A five-man panel led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour unanimously dismissed the company’s application for a review of the judgment after upholding the preliminary objection filed by the communities’ legal team.

Dismissing the application on Friday, Justice Samuel Osuji who read the lead ruling of the Supreme Court’s panel prepared by Justice Centus Nweze, held that the application by Shell, asking it to revisit its earlier judgment, was unmeritorious.

The apex court had in the case which had lasted about 31 years from when it started at the High Court, issued the N17bn order in favour of Ejama-Ebubu in Tai Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, represented by Chief Isaac Agbara and nine others.

The communities’ lead lawyer, Lucius Igwe, said on Friday that the judgment sum with the accrued interests for the 32 years period stood at about N182bn.