Victims’ List: Court orders UK to pay £420m to families of 1949 Enugu coal miners
An Enugu State High Court has ordered the United Kingdom government to pay £420 million, equivalent to about ₦777 billion, as compensation to the families of 21 Nigerian coal miners killed during the 1949 Iva Valley massacre in Enugu State.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday, February 5, 2026, by Justice Anthony Onovo, who ruled that the killing of the miners by British colonial police constituted an unlawful and extrajudicial violation of the right to life.
The massacre occurred on November 18, 1949, at the Iva Valley Coal Mine, when unarmed miners protesting poor working conditions, unpaid wages and racial discrimination were shot by colonial security forces. At least 21 miners were killed, while 51 others sustained injuries.
The court ordered the British government to pay £20 million (about ₦37 billion) to each victim’s family, bringing the total award to £420 million (approximately ₦777 billion). The sum will attract 10 per cent post-judgment interest per annum until fully paid. Claims for pre-judgment interest and exemplary damages were dismissed.
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Justice Onovo further directed the UK government to issue formal written apologies to the victims’ families, to be published within 60 days in major Nigerian and British newspapers. The compensation must be paid within 90 days of the judgment.
The victims identified in court documents are Sunday Anyasodo, Ani Oha, Andrew J. Obiekwe Okonkwo, Augustine Chiwetalu, Onoh Ugwu, Ngwu Offor, Ndunguba Eze, Okafor Agu, Livinus Ukachunwa, Jonathan Agu Ozoani, Moses Ikegbu Okoloha, Chukwu Ugwu, Thomas Chukwu, Simon Nwachukwu, Agu Alo, Ogbonnia Ani Chima, Nnaji Nwachukwu, William Nwaku, James Onoh Ekeowa, Felix Nnaji and Ani Nwaekwe.
The suit, marked E/909/2024, was filed by human rights activist Mazi Greg Onoh against the British Government, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Head of the Commonwealth Government of the United Kingdom.
In rejecting the UK’s claim of sovereign immunity, the court held that colonial-era human rights abuses remain justiciable, stressing that the right to life cannot be extinguished by time or political transition.
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The court also urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to initiate diplomatic engagement with the United Kingdom within 60 days to ensure enforcement of the ruling.
Legal representatives for the families, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) and P. N. Agazie, described the judgment as a landmark step toward justice for victims of colonial-era atrocities.
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