The Nigeria Union of Mine Workers (NUMW) has urged the Federal Government to urgently deploy diplomatic channels to enforce a court judgement ordering the British Government to pay £420 million in compensation to the families of 21 coal miners killed by colonial authorities in Enugu in 1949.
President of the Nigeria Union of Mine Workers, Comrade Hamza Muhammad, made this call in a chat with journalists yesterday in Abuja
Justice Anthony Onovo of the Enugu State High Court had ruled on Thursday that the British Government was liable for the Iva Valley coal miners’ massacre and awarded £20 million to each victim’s family.
The massacre occurred on November 18, 1949, at the Iva Valley Coal Mine in Enugu, then the administrative capital of the Eastern Region under British colonial rule. The miners were protesting poor working conditions, racial wage disparities and unpaid arrears and had embarked on a peaceful “go-slow” action when colonial authorities opened fire on them.
Twenty-one miners were killed and 51 others injured in the incident.
Those killed were 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 other respondents. None of the British respondents were represented by counsel.
In his judgement, Justice Onovo described the killings as an unlawful and extrajudicial violation of the right to life, ordering the British Government to issue a formal apology and pay post-judgement interest of 10 per cent per annum until the compensation is fully settled.
In his reaction to the development, President of the Nigeria Union of Mine Workers, Comrade Hamza Muhammad, described the ruling as historic and called for immediate diplomatic engagement to secure compliance.
“This judgement rekindles our courage and reminds us that injury to one is injury to all,” Muhammad said.
“We urge the Federal Government to swiftly pursue diplomatic efforts to ensure enforcement of this judgement and payment of reparations. We also call on the Ministries of Labour and Mines to stand with Nigerian workers in demanding accountability.”
