Oil company Shell will pay 15 million euros in compensation to Nigerian farmers for oil spills that seriously polluted three villages in the Niger Delta, the multinational and environmental organization Milieudefensie said on Friday.

A Dutch court ruled in 2021 that Shell's subsidiary in Nigeria was liable for damages resulting from the spills and ordered Shell to pay compensation in the long-running lawsuit brought by four Nigerian farmers.

"Shell and Milieudefensie have negotiated an agreement for the benefit of the communities of Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo in Nigeria, which were affected by four oil spills between 2004 and 2007," the oil giant said in a statement.

Shell "will pay a sum of 15 million euros for the benefit of the communities and the individual plaintiffs," the group said.

The agreement, which cannot be seen as an "admission of liability", settles all claims and puts an end to all pending litigation related to the spills, Shell said.

Supported by the environmental organization Milieudefensie - the Dutch branch of the international organization Friends of the Earth - four Nigerian farmers and fishermen took the company to court in 2008, demanding that Shell - then based in The Hague - pay for the clean-up work and compensation.

The multinational always attributed the cause of the pollution to sabotage and claimed to have cleaned up the site.

The four original plaintiffs have all died since the start of the legal battle, which is being waged by their communities in southeast Nigeria against one of Africa's largest oil producers.

"It is a great relief to all of us that after years of legal battle with Shell, we will soon receive this money as compensation for all that we have lost," said current plaintiff Eric Dooh, quoted in a statement by Milieudefensie and cited by Lusa.

The lawsuit and compensation mean that a "new standard" has been set, said Donald Pols, director of Friends of the Earth Netherlands, an environmental organization.

"Companies will no longer be able to get away with polluting and ignoring human rights," and can now "be called to account," he added.