A Nigerian court has ordered the British government to pay a total of £420m in compensation to the families of 21 coal miners killed by colonial authorities in 1949, in what campaigners are calling a historic breakthrough in accountability for colonial-era crimes.
The judgement, delivered by Justice Anthony Onovo at the Enugu High Court, awards $27m (£20m) to each affected family over the killing of workers at the Iva Valley coal mine in south-eastern Nigeria. The miners were shot dead by colonial police while protesting for improved working conditions.
The police force at the time, made up of both Nigerian and European officers, opened fire on unarmed workers who were on strike over harsh labour conditions, racial wage discrimination and unpaid back wages. Dozens of others were injured in what Nigeria’s state-run News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) described as one of the most notorious acts of repression under British colonial rule.
Justice Onovo ruled that the killings constituted an unlawful, extrajudicial violation of the right to life, stating that the British government must be held accountable and make reparations to the victims’ families.
“These defenceless coal miners were demanding better working conditions. They were not engaged in any violent action against the authorities, yet they were shot and killed,” the judge said in court, according to NAN.
The British government said it had not been formally notified of the ruling and therefore could not comment. A UK government spokesperson told the BBC that Britain was not represented in the proceedings.
The lawsuit was filed by human rights activist Mazi Greg Onoh and named both the British and Nigerian governments as respondents. Families of the victims, supported by rights groups, have waged a decades-long campaign seeking official recognition and compensation for the massacre.
Prof Yemi Akinseye-George, counsel to the applicants, described the ruling as a major step forward in confronting colonial abuses.
“This judgement affirms that the right to life transcends time, borders and changes in sovereignty,” he said. “It represents a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for colonial-era violations.”
The killings occurred on 18 November 1949 in Enugu, then the administrative capital of Nigeria’s Eastern Region under British rule. Historians say the massacre became a turning point in Nigeria’s struggle for independence.
Dr Damola Adebowale, a historian, told the BBC that the event helped crystallise anti-colonial sentiment across the country.
“Calls for independence already existed and discussions were ongoing,” he said. “The massacre became a powerful reference point for those arguing that colonial rule had to end.”
An official inquiry at the time justified the shootings on the grounds that police feared being overwhelmed by the protesting workers. However, the investigation also faulted colonial authorities for inflaming tensions that led to the violence.
Today, the slain miners are widely commemorated as heroes in the region. A bronze monument erected in central Enugu depicts the confrontation, memorialising a moment that not only exposed the brutality of colonial rule but also helped hasten its demise.