An Enugu State High Court has delivered a landmark ruling holding the British government responsible for the killing of 21 Nigerian coal miners during the colonial era, ordering it to pay £20 million to each victim’s family, totaling £420 million.
In his judgment on Thursday, Justice Anthony Onovo, ruled that the 1949 shooting at the Iva Valley Coal Mine constituted an unlawful and extrajudicial violation of the right to life. The miners were peacefully protesting poor working conditions, wage discrimination and unpaid entitlements when colonial officers opened fire, killing 21 people and injuring 51 others.
The massacre occurred on 18 November 1949, when Enugu was the administrative capital of Nigeria’s Eastern Region under British rule. The judge rejected claims that the case could not be heard because it occurred during colonial rule, stressing that grave human rights abuses remain justiciable regardless of when they were committed.
Justice Onovo also ordered the British government to issue unreserved written apologies to the victims’ families, to be published in three national newspapers in Nigeria and three in the United Kingdom within 60 days. The compensation must be paid within 90 days, with 10 percent annual post-judgment interest applied until full payment.
The court further faulted the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Attorney-General of the Federation for decades of inaction, directing them to pursue diplomatic engagement with the British authorities to ensure enforcement of the ruling.
Lawyers to the applicants described the decision as historic, saying it affirms that the right to life transcends time, borders and changes in sovereignty.
