By Francis Ajuonuma
The family of a late engineer with the Shell Petroleum Development Company has demanded $100 million in compensation, alleging that medical negligence at a company hospital caused his death.
In a letter from their solicitors, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN & Co, the family of Mr Eto Sonam Obhuo accused Shell and affiliated entities of gross lapses in medical care at the Shell Industrial Area Hospital in Rumuobiakani, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to the letter, Obhuo was rushed to the hospital on June 16, 2011, admitted, and died the same day, about 15 hours after coming under the care of the hospital’s medical team.
The family said inquiries, medical reports and other documents indicate that his death resulted from negligence rather than natural causes.
Dated September 19, 2025, the letter alleged that investigations uncovered discrepancies in the deceased’s medical case notes and post-mortem records, raising suspicions of an attempt to conceal possible criminal liability.
The family said the concerns led to law enforcement involvement, resulting in a police investigation report and an interim report from the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Committee Investigation Panel.
Among the alleged acts of negligence listed were failure to obtain informed consent before administering medication, non-disclosure of information on drugs and dosages, unauthorised insertion of airway adjuncts, poor patient monitoring, and failure to respond adequately to signs of respiratory distress.
The family further claimed that a pathology report showed cyanosis of the oral mucous membranes and fingernail beds, indicating hypoxemia, which they argued could have been prevented with timely and appropriate medical intervention.
Obhuo, who was described as the best graduating student of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, died at the age of 32, leaving behind a wife and dependents.
The family said Shell acknowledged receipt of earlier demand letters and, in a letter dated September 6, 2021, expressed willingness to explore an amicable settlement, but no concrete steps have followed.
In its latest demands, the family is seeking full disclosure of all medical records related to Obhuo’s treatment, details of medical policies in force at the time, and copies of any internal investigations.
They also demanded payment of all accrued death benefits to the estate, in addition to the $100 million compensation for wrongful death and loss of dependency.
A 14-day pre-action notice has been issued, warning that failure to respond could lead to civil and criminal proceedings.
The notice was reportedly served on Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, which is said to have taken over Shell’s operations, and a copy was delivered to the office of Shell Plc’s Chief Executive Officer in London.
