UK Ordered to Pay $570mln for 1949 Colonial Massacre in Nigeria

By Al Mayadeen English

7 Feb 2026 19:41

The ruling orders compensation and public apologies over a colonial-era crackdown, reviving debates on Britain’s responsibility for historic abuses in Nigeria.

The British government has been ordered to pay $570 million to the families of 21 Black miners killed during a colonial-era protest in Nigeria, in what legal experts are calling a “milestone” ruling.

Enugu High Court Justice Anthony Onovo ruled last Thursday that each family is to receive $27 million, with post-judgment interest of 10% per year until full payment is made. The court also mandated that written apologies be published in Nigerian and British newspapers within 60 days.

The massacre occurred on November 18, 1949, at the Iva Valley Coal Mine in southeastern Nigeria. The miners, protesting harsh labor conditions, racial wage disparities, and unpaid back wages, staged a “go-slow” protest to prevent management from locking them out. Colonial authorities responded with lethal force after the unarmed miners refused to disperse, killing 21 and injuring 51 others.

“These defenseless coal miners were asking for improved work conditions; they were not embarking on any violent action against the authorities, yet they were shot and killed,” the judge noted.

'A milestone in the pursuit of historical accountability'

Lawyers for the plaintiffs hailed the decision as a significant step for historical accountability. Yemi Akinseye-George called it “a milestone in the pursuit of historical accountability,” affirming that “the right to life transcends time, borders, and changes in sovereignty.”

The ruling follows other cases highlighting colonial-era abuses, including a 2013 UK settlement of £19.9 million to more than 5,000 Kenyans tortured during the Mau Mau uprising.

10 Downing Street said it had not yet been formally notified by the Nigerian government and therefore could not comment on whether the compensation would be paid.

Historians in Nigeria say the Iva Valley Massacre helped galvanize the anti-colonial movement that eventually led to Nigeria’s independence in 1960.