The relentless 13-year fight for justice for the execution of Nigerian author, poet and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other protesters by Nigeria's military government in complicity with Royal Dutch Shell in 1995, finally came to an end this week, when the oil major agreed to settle out of court and pay the victims family $15.5 million.

Europe's largest oil company, which still has ongoing operations in Nigeria, was accused 14 years ago of aiding and abetting the then military junta led by General Sani Abacha of silencing Ken Saro-Wiwa and other activists, who were protesting against the environmental damage among other things, being caused by the oil major in the Niger Delta region.

Ken Saro-Wiwa led a non-violent protest against Shell for polluting the region's water and air as well as asking the military rulers to distribute the country's oil wealth to the poor.

Shell was not only accused of abusing the rights of the Ogoni ethnic minority, but also for colluding with the military government in punishing activists who spoke out about the wrong doings of the company.

Company officials allegedly helped to secure weapons for the Nigerian police and even actively took part in security operations in Ogoniland. Shell was also accused of, on one occasion, taking the help of the military to shoot at villagers protesting against the company laying an oil pipeline in their area.

The campaign led by Ken Saro-Wiwa forced Shell to wind up its operation in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta region in 1993.

Activists working with Ken Saro-Wiwa alleged that Shell had helped the government in arresting and hanging Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other eight activists.

Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists were framed for the murder of four local elders in 1994, and subsequently hanged by the military government after a trial, described as a sham.

Their deaths sparked a storm of protest, both in Nigeria and abroad. The activists and the families of the victims launched a relentless campaign against the company for justice.

The victimised families along with the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, filed a case in US District Court in Manhattan, where under a 1789 US statute, non-US citizens could file a case in the US courts if a human right abuse had taken place overseas.

But this week, just before the trial was to start, Shell decided to settle the issue rather than face the prospects of an embarrassing trial under full public glare and scrutiny.
Shell said that it had decided to settle the issue on humanitarian grounds.

It said in a statement, ''The settlement and other payments together total $15.5 million, which will provide funding for the trust and a compassionate payment to the plaintiffs and the estates they represent in recognition of the tragic turn of events in Ogoni land, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place. In addition, they cover plaintiffs' costs and fees.''

About $5 million would go into a trust for the benefit of the Ogoni people. The rest of the money would go towards lawyers' fees and compensation for the families.

Ken Saro-Wiwa's son Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr said the settlement was a vindication for his family and added that it would have been the first time in US history that a multinational would have been found guilty of human right abuses had the case gone on trial.

Eventually, nearly 2,000 Ogonis lost their lives fighting for a clean environment against Shell and the military junta in Nigeria in the 1990s.