Nigerian court orders UK to pay £420m over coal mine deaths in 1949

A Nigerian court has reportedly ordered the UK to pay £420m to the families of 21 striking miners killed by security forces during British colonial rule.

The judge, Justice Anthony Onovo of the Enugu High Court, found the former colonial administration liable over the 1949 incident and said Britain should formally apologise.

The UK was not represented in court, according to local reports, and the government has declined to comment.

The miners, who were protesting over harsh working conditions and had occupied the facility, were shot by colonial police at the Iva Valley Coal Mine in southeastern Enugu state.

Fifty-one others were seriously injured in the shooting, News Agency of Nigeria reported.

"These defenceless coal miners were asking for improved work conditions, they were not embarking on any violent action against the authorities, but yet were shot and killed," the judge said.

Campaigners have been pursuing damages for decades and Mr Onovo said a £20m payment to each family would be "effective remedy and compensation for the violations of the right to life".

He also ruled that the Nigerian government had failed in its duty to seek redress for the victims.

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The incident is widely seen in Nigeria as one of the events that led to agitations for independence in Africa's most populous nation. The country broke free from Britain 11 years later in 1960.

A lawyer on the case, Yemi Akinseye-George, said Thursday's ruling gave "historical accountability and justice for colonial-era violations, affirming that the right to life transcends time, borders, and changes in sovereignty".

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