Legal Action Filed in French Court
Four civil society organisations have initiated legal proceedings in France against TotalEnergies, demanding the energy giant release documents related to its planned divestment from onshore oil operations in Nigeria's Niger Delta. The groups—Friends of the Earth France, Hawkmoth, HEDA Resource Centre, and Social Action International—announced the lawsuit on Wednesday in a joint statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES. They are supported by The Corner House and ReCommon.
The legal action, brought under Article 145 of the French Code of Civil Procedure, seeks court-ordered measures to preserve or obtain evidence before a substantive lawsuit is filed. The organisations argue that the transaction has been conducted with minimal public disclosure, leaving critical questions unanswered about responsibility for site remediation and community compensation after decades of oil exploration.
Demand for Transparency Under French Duty of Vigilance Law
The requested documents would help determine whether TotalEnergies has complied with France's Duty of Vigilance Law, which mandates large companies to identify and prevent serious human rights and environmental risks linked to their operations and business relationships. The groups emphasised that the sale of TotalEnergies' 10 per cent non-operating interest in the Renaissance joint venture to Nigerian consortium Vaaris lacks transparency.
TotalEnergies announced the sale and purchase agreement months ago, covering its interest in 18 onshore oil mining licences in the Niger Delta but excluding stakes in three gas-producing licences that supply about half the feed gas to the Nigeria LNG project. The completion remains subject to approval by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). This follows an earlier failed attempt to sell the same stake to Chappal Energies.
Devastating Environmental Impact in Niger Delta
The organisations cited findings by the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission, which described the Niger Delta as one of the world's “most polluted places on Earth.” Decades of oil production have contaminated drinking water, destroyed fisheries, and rendered large farmland areas unusable. According to the commission's 2023 report, between nine million and 13 million barrels of crude oil were spilled across the Niger Delta from 1958 to 2010—an amount 35 to 50 times the volume of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
“This case is about people, not just oil assets. It is about children growing up with poisoned water, families breathing polluted air, and communities losing their health and livelihoods while international oil companies walk away with decades of profits,” said Isaac Osuoka, Coordinator of Social Action International. “These communities must not be treated as corporate sacrifice zones. France’s Duty of Vigilance Law requires Total to demonstrate that its divestment does not further infringe the human rights of people in its oil and gas extraction sites by ensuring adequate remediation.”
Broader Oil Major Exit Raises Concerns
TotalEnergies’ planned divestment is part of a broader withdrawal by European oil companies from Nigeria’s onshore oil sector. In March 2025, Shell completed the sale of its Nigerian onshore subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), to Renaissance Africa Energy. SPDC, now renamed Renaissance JV, operated assets that the groups say contributed significantly to oil pollution over the past three decades. TotalEnergies owns a 10 per cent non-operating stake in that joint venture.
Eni also announced in May 2026 its intention to divest its onshore stake. The organisations argue these transactions proceed without adequate public disclosure of financial guarantees for environmental remediation or compensation, raising fears that communities will bear the burden of pollution after the companies exit.
At TotalEnergies’ annual general meeting in May, CEO Patrick Pouyanné defended the exit, citing persistent crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism. He stated the company ensured environmental liabilities would transfer to new owners under Nigerian law. However, the groups contend those assurances must be made public.
Calls for Transparency and Accountability
“Total served on the international board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, so it can’t say it doesn’t understand the public interest and its own obligation to be transparent about such transactions,” said Simon Taylor, founding director of anti-corruption group Global Witness. “We asked Patrick Pouyanné about the deal at this year’s AGM, but all we got back were smoke-and-mirrors claims. Just what has Total got to hide?”
Olanrewaju Suraju of HEDA Resources noted that United Nations working groups described recent divestments as “experiments in divestment without clean-up.” He questioned whether new owners have the financial capacity to assume environmental liabilities, citing financing arrangements around Shell’s sale and the failed Chappal Energies deal.
“Access to information is essential to ensure that these companies fulfil their responsibilities and do not leave local communities to deal with the heavy legacy of the pollution they have caused,” stressed Camille Grandperrin of Friends of the Earth France.
As of filing this report, neither TotalEnergies, Vaaris, nor the NUPRC had issued any public statement in response to the lawsuit.
