Specifically, the complainants are concerned by Shell’s repeated claims about the proportion of oil spills in the Niger Delta that are due to sabotage committed by criminal gangs. According to the complainants, the company provides misleading information and omits mention of relevant facts about the causes of oil spills. Additionally, they claim Shell bases its communications on biased and unverified information, thus failing to provide reliable and relevant information to external stakeholders.

The complainants are concerned that the figures on sabotage used by Shell are too high, arbitrary, incorrect, misleading, and confusing and that this has serious and negative consequences for the communities of the Niger Delta. Firstly, when spills are classified as the result of sabotage, Shell has no liability or responsibility to pay compensation for damage done to people or their livelihoods. Secondly, the complainants claim that Shell uses these figures to deflect criticism of its own environmental and human rights impact in the Niger Delta, misleading key stakeholders including consumers and investors.