An Enugu State High Court has ordered the British government to pay £420 million in compensation to the families of 21 Nigerian coal miners killed in 1949 during British colonial rule, in what legal experts describe as a landmark ruling on colonial-era accountability.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday, 5 February 2026, by Justice Anthony Onovo at the Enugu High Court in Enugu State, southeastern Nigeria. The court held that the British colonial administration was responsible for the deaths of the miners during the Iva Valley coal mine killings, which occurred on 18 November 1949 in Enugu.
The miners were shot by colonial police during a strike at the Enugu Colliery, where workers were protesting poor working conditions, racial discrimination in wages, and unpaid allowances. Twenty-one miners were killed and dozens injured in the incident, which later became known as the Iva Valley massacre.
In his ruling, Justice Onovo awarded £20 million in damages for each of the 21 victims, bringing the total compensation to £420 million. The court also ordered the British government to issue a formal written apology to the families of the deceased and to publish the apology in major Nigerian and British newspapers within 60 days of the judgment. The judge further directed that the compensation be paid within 90 days, with post-judgment interest accruing if payment is delayed.
The suit was filed under case number E/909/2024 by human rights activist Greg Onoh on behalf of the victims’ families. The defendants named in the case include the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the British government, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Justice Onovo ruled that the killings constituted an unlawful violation of the right to life and rejected arguments that sovereign immunity or the passage of time barred the court from exercising jurisdiction. He held that the fact Nigeria was under colonial rule at the time did not extinguish the responsibility of the colonial authorities for the deaths.
The 1949 killings are widely regarded as a defining moment in Nigeria’s anti-colonial struggle and helped galvanise nationalist movements that eventually led to Nigeria’s independence from Britain in 1960.
As of Friday, 7 February 2026, there was no formal response from the British government. A spokesperson in London said UK authorities had not yet been officially served with the court judgment. Legal analysts note that enforcement of the ruling could face challenges if the British government contests jurisdiction or appeals the decision.
Lawyers for the victims’ families described the judgment as historic, saying it affirms that colonial-era human rights abuses remain subject to legal redress and accountability, regardless of how much time has passed.
