By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja
The judgment of the Enugu State High Court awarding £420 million in compensation to the families of 21 coal miners killed in 1949 has been formally transmitted to the government of the United Kingdom for execution.
The decision, delivered 75 years after the fatal shooting of the miners by colonial police in Enugu, orders the British government to pay £20 million to each of the 21 victims’ families. The judgment was conveyed through the British High Commissioner in Nigeria in line with the court’s directive.
The ruling was handed down on February 5, 2026, by Justice Anthony Onovo of the Enugu State High Court, who held the United Kingdom liable for the actions of its colonial administration, which operated coal mining in Nigeria at the time for commercial purposes.
Under the terms of the judgment, the UK is required to settle the £420 million award within 60 days and report compliance to the court within 90 days. The court further ordered that failure to pay within the stipulated period would attract post-judgment interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum until the debt is fully liquidated.
Confirming the development at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Professor Yemi Akinseye-George, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who led the legal team for the miners’ families, said the judgment has been duly received by British authorities.
He expressed confidence that the British government would comply with what he described as the lawful order of a competent Nigerian court.
“This judgment represents long-awaited justice for the 21 miners whose lives were unlawfully cut short,” he said, noting that the decision has brought closure to decades of grief endured by their families.
According to Akinseye-George, the incident occurred on November 18, 1949, when coal miners in Enugu embarked on a protest over poor working conditions and discriminatory labour practices. He said colonial police officers, acting under the authority of the British administration, opened fire on the unarmed workers, killing 21 of them on the spot.
The suit against the British government was initiated by human rights activist Mazi Greg Nwanchukwu Onoh, whose efforts, Akinseye-George said, were instrumental in securing the landmark judgment.
In addition to the monetary award, the court directed the UK authorities to issue a formal letter of apology to the families of the deceased miners and to publish the apology in four Nigerian newspapers and three newspapers in the United Kingdom.
The slain miners were identified as Sunday Anyasodo, Ono Oha, Andrew Obiekwe Okonkwo, Augustine Chiwefalu, Onoh Obiekwe, Livinus Ugwu, Ngwu Ofor, Ndunguba Eze, Okafor Agu, Livinus Ofor, Jonathan Ukachunwa, Jonathan Agu Ozani, Moses Ikebu, Okoloha, Chukwu Ugwu, Thomas Chukwu, Simon Nwanchukwu, Agu Alo, Ogbonnia Ani Chima, Nnaji Nwanchukwu, William Nwaku, James Ono Ekeowa, Felix Ekeowa, Felix Nnaji and Ani Nwaekwo.
The judgment marks a significant legal milestone, coming more than seven decades after one of the most tragic episodes of Nigeria’s colonial labour history.
