Nigerian Court Orders Britain to Pay £420m in Reparations for 1949 Coal Miner Massacre

A Nigerian high court has ordered the British government to pay £420 million in compensation for the killing of 21 coal miners by colonial forces in 1949.

Justice Anthony Onovo of the Enugu State High Court ruled on Thursday that the British government must pay £20 million to the family of each victim.

The ruling concerns the Iva Valley massacre, which occurred at a coal mine in Enugu on November 18, 1949. At the time, Enugu was the administrative capital of the Eastern Region in British-administered Nigeria. Colonial police opened fire on miners during a labour dispute, killing 21 and wounding many others—an event that became a catalyst for the Nigerian independence movement.

The case was brought by families of the victims seeking justice and reparations for the historic injustice.

The British government is yet to respond to the ruling. Legal experts note that enforcing a domestic Nigerian court judgment against the United Kingdom government presents significant jurisdictional and diplomatic challenges.