A Nigerian judicial commission of inquiry has uncovered a gruesome incident in which the police massacred 80 unarmed villagers demonstrating for compensation in lieu of their land taken over by Shell International. The Guardian alleges that not only did Nigerian authorities cover up the killings, they also suppressed the commission report, which criticised the multinational oil company and the police.

The report, which was recently smuggled out of Nigeria, said the police "shot people and razed 495 houses with blast grenades".