Nigerian Court Orders UK Compensation for Families of Miners Killed in 1949

A Nigerian court has ordered the British government to pay 20 million pounds each to the families of 21 coal miners killed in 1949 by security forces during British colonial rule, according to the state-run news agency.

The ruling on Thursday culminates decades of campaigning for compensation over the killings, widely seen in Nigeria as one of the triggers to agitations for independence. Nigeria gained its independence from Britain 11 years later, in 1960.

The miners were killed at the Iva Valley Coal Mine in southeastern Enugu state as they were protesting harsh working conditions. They had occupied the mine when colonial police opened fire on them, killing 21 and injuring many others.

Justice Anthony Onovo of the Enugu High Court found the British colonial administration liable for the killings and ruled that the British government should also tender formal apologies to the victims.

“These defenceless coal miners were asking for improved work conditions; they were not embarking on any violent action against the authorities, but were shot and killed,” the judge said.

He ordered British authorities to pay 420 million pounds in total to the victims’ families as “an effective remedy and compensation for the violations of the right to life.”

Yemi Akinseye George, one of the lawyers representing the applicants, described the ruling as a significant milestone that delivers “historical accountability and justice for colonial era violations, affirming that the right to life transcends time, borders, and changes in sovereignty.”

The British government declined to comment. The UK was not represented in the court proceedings.

SOURCE: Punch