By Peter Omopo
The British Government is facing renewed pressure to comply with a £420 million compensation order issued by the over the killing of 21 coal miners during a 1949 protest at the Iva Valley coal mine in Enugu.
A legal team representing the victims’ families, led by Professor Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN), said on Friday that all necessary procedural steps to enforce the February 5 judgment have been completed.
Speaking in Abuja, Akinseye-George disclosed that certified true copies of the judgment had been served on all parties, including formal notifications to the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Attorney-General of the Federation and to the British Government via the British High Commission.
“As one of the world’s foremost proponents of the rule of law and human rights, the United Kingdom is expected to respect the decision of a competent Nigerian court and comply with its orders,” he said.
In suit number E/909/2024, filed by human rights activist Mazi Greg N. Onoh on behalf of the families, Justice A.O. Onovo ruled that the miners were unlawfully and extrajudicially killed by British colonial authorities during a protest for improved working conditions on November 18, 1949.
The court awarded £20 million to each victim’s family, amounting to a total of £420 million, with 10 percent post-judgment interest per annum until full payment. Claims for pre-judgment interest and exemplary damages were dismissed.
Justice Onovo held the respondents — including the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and the Government of the United Kingdom — jointly and severally liable for the breach of the miners’ right to life.
Describing the incident, the judge stated that the miners were unarmed and were not engaged in violent action when they were shot. He added that colonial-era atrocities cannot be shielded from judicial scrutiny merely because they occurred before Nigeria’s independence.
Beyond financial compensation, the court ordered the British Government to issue unreserved written apologies to the families, to be published in selected national newspapers in Nigeria and the United Kingdom within 60 days.
The court also directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and relevant Nigerian authorities to commence diplomatic engagement within 60 days and submit a compliance report within 90 days.
Justice Onovo further ruled that the Federal Government of Nigeria, as the successor state, has a continuing obligation to pursue reparations, warning that failure by successive administrations to do so amounts to a constitutional dereliction of duty.
Akinseye-George described the judgment as historic, saying it affirms the supremacy of Nigeria’s Constitution and reinforces international human rights obligations. He noted that the ruling acknowledges decades of suffering endured by the families and underscores that the passage of time does not extinguish responsibility.
“The court of law has spoken. Justice has been declared. We now call for compliance,” he said.
