A Nigerian court has ordered the British government to pay $27 million in compensation to each of the families of 21 coal miners who were killed by colonial police in 1949 in the south-east of the country, according to the BBC.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Anthony Onovo at the Enugu High Court, described the incident as an unlawful and extrajudicial violation of the right to life and held that the British government must be held accountable through reparations to the victims’ families.
The miners were shot dead on 18 November 1949 at the Iva Valley coal mine in Enugu while striking for improved working conditions, racial wage equality, and payment of salary arrears. Dozens of others were injured during the crackdown, which Nigeria’s state-run News Agency of Nigeria has described as one of the most notorious acts of repression under British colonial rule.
Historians cited by the BBC say the killings played a significant role in galvanising Nigeria’s anti-colonial movement, which ultimately led to independence in 1960, eleven years after the incident. Today, the victims are widely commemorated in the region as national heroes.
The legal action was initiated by human rights activist Mazi Greg Onoh, who named both the British and Nigerian governments as respondents. Families of the victims, supported by rights groups, have campaigned for decades for official recognition and compensation.
In reaction, the UK government said it had not been formally notified of the judgment and therefore could not comment. A spokesperson also told the BBC that the United Kingdom had not been represented during the court proceedings.
During the original colonial-era inquiry, police authorities defended the shootings, claiming they feared being overwhelmed by protesting workers. However, the investigation also placed blame on colonial officials overseeing the police for escalating tensions.
Legal representatives for the applicants described the judgment as a milestone for historical accountability, stressing that the right to life transcends time and changes in sovereignty, according to the BBC.
