Oil spill from Shell pipeline fouls farms and a river in a long-polluted part of Nigeria

An oil spill at a Shell facility in Nigeria has contaminated farmland and a river. It's upended livelihoods in the fishing and farming communities in part of the Niger Delta, which has long endured environmental pollution caused by the oil industry. While spills are frequent in the region, activists call this “one of the worst in the last 16 years.” Activists describe water surfaces blighted by oil sheens and dead fish mired in sticky crude. Regulators say the spill has been contained but a further response to control its impact has been stalled, blaming protesting residents. Shell says it's taking “actions that may be necessary for the safety of environment, people and equipment.”