 |
| Monument to the massacre in Enugu |
A Nigerian court has ordered the British government to pay £420 million to the families of miners killed by the British colonial police in 1949. The court also ordered that written apologies be published in Nigerian and British newspapers within 60 days of the judgement. Justice Anthony Onovo of the High Court, Enugu Division ordered the British Government to pay £20 million each to the families of the 21 coal miners who were shot dead at the Iva Valley Coal Mine in Enugu on 18 November 1949. 51 others were injured when the British superintendent ordered his men to open fire.
The miners were protesting against harsh working conditions, racial disparities in wages and unpaid back wages and when their demands were not met, they went on a go-slow work to rule and occupied the mine to prevent Management from locking them out.
The suit was brought by a Nigerian human rights campaigner who sought an acknowledgment of liability, a formal apology from the British Government, and comprehensive compensation for the loss of their loved ones.
Justice Onovo described the massacre as an unlawful and extrajudicial violation of the right to life. “These defenceless 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” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Government must initiate and pursue diplomatic engagement with the British side within 60 days to seek justice, effective remedies and reparations.
Downing Street says it has not yet been formally notified by Nigeria and therefore cannot comment on whether the compensation will be paid. But there are precedents including a 2013 UK settlement of £19.9 million to more than 5,000 Kenyans tortured by the British colonial forces during the liberation struggle led by the Kenya Land and Freedom Army that the British authorities dubbed the ‘Mau Mau’.
No comments:
Post a Comment