Abstract
The victims of oil spillage in Nigeria have had severe difficulty accessing justice, hinged on technicalities, payment of adequate compensation, jurisdictional issues and locus standi, to mention but few. This article is aimed at appraising the initial attitude of courts in oil spill litigation and the current position of the court in light of the recent Supreme Court decision in the celebrated case of Centre for Oil Pollution Watch V. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation 5 NWLR [PT.1666] P.518. The research method adopted is doctrinal, which examines legal theories and frameworks. Thus, primary sources are case laws on the subject and Nigerian environmental statutes, and secondary sources include relevant journal articles, textbooks and online materials. It was discovered, amongst other findings, that the harsh attitude of the court towards victims of oil spill litigation has been mitigated by recent decisions of the court that will be examined herein.
Keywords: contemporary, Judicial Attitude, environmental, litigation, Nigeria.