In a landmark ruling delivered more than 75 years after the incident, the Enugu State High Court has ordered the British Government to pay £420 million in compensation to the families of 21 Nigerian coal miners killed by British colonial forces during a protest in 1949.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Anthony Onovo ruled that the killings at the Iva Valley Coal Mine were unlawful and amounted to an extrajudicial violation of the miners’ right to life.
He held that although the incident occurred during colonial rule, the right to life remains enforceable under Nigeria’s Constitution regardless of political changes.
Under the judgment, each of the 21 families is to receive £20 million, bringing the total compensation to £420 million.
The court also ordered the British Government to issue unreserved written apologies to the families, to be published in major Nigerian newspapers including Daily Sun, Daily Independent and The Punch, as well as in three leading newspapers in the United Kingdom.
The compensation must be paid within 90 days, with 10 percent post-judgment interest accruing annually until full payment is made.
Justice Onovo rejected arguments that the case was time-barred because it occurred during colonial rule, stating that serious human rights violations remain subject to legal redress regardless of when they happened.
The Iva Valley Massacre occurred on 18 November 1949 at the coal mine in Enugu, then part of British-controlled Eastern Nigeria.
The miners were protesting poor working conditions, wage disparities and unpaid allowances. During the protest, colonial police opened fire on the unarmed workers, killing 21 miners and injuring at least 51 others.
The suit, marked E/909/2024, was filed in 2024 by human rights activist Mazi Greg Onoh on behalf of the victims’ families.
The respondents included officials of the British Government, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and the Nigerian Federal Government, including the Attorney-General.
The court also criticised Nigerian authorities for delays in pursuing justice and directed them to engage the British Government diplomatically within 60 days to ensure compliance with the ruling.
Legal experts have described the judgment as a significant step toward accountability for colonial-era human rights abuses.
