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An Enugu court has ordered the UK to pay £420m to families of 1949 Iva Valley Massacre victims in a historic win.

An Enugu High Court has ordered the British government to pay £420 million in compensation to the families of 21 miners killed during the 1949 Iva Valley Massacre.

Justice Anthony Onovo, delivering the ruling on Thursday, described the fallen miners as peaceful and defenceless workers. He noted that these men were simply asking for better pay and fair treatment under colonial rule when they were met with a hail of bullets.

The court has now ruled that each family must receive £20 million for the loss of their loved ones. This brings the total package to a staggering £420 million.

For many in Enugu and across Nigeria, this ruling is a victory, 75 years in the making. The massacre happened in November 1949, when miners at the Enugu coal mines protested against harsh conditions and racial wage gaps. British authorities responded with force, killing 21 and wounding over 50 others.

During the trial, the British government attempted to argue that they were immune from such lawsuits due to "sovereign immunity." 

However, Justice Onovo dismissed this, insisting that human rights violations from the colonial era can still be tried under Nigerian law today.

He stated that being a colonial power does not give any government the right to kill its subjects without consequences. To ensure the judgment is taken seriously, the court also added a 10% annual interest on the money until the full amount is paid.

Lead counsels for the families, including Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, described the day as a historic moment for international justice. 

They compared the case to the UK’s previous compensation to the Mau Mau victims in Kenya, proving that the sun is finally setting on colonial-era impunity.

The lawsuit was brought forward in 2024 by human rights activist Mazi Greg Onoh. It sought to hold the UK Secretary of State and the Nigerian government accountable for the blood spilled at Iva Valley.

Names like Sunday Anyasodo and Augustine Chiwetalu, who were once just footnotes in history books, have now been vindicated by the law. 

This ruling sets a massive precedent, showing that no matter how many decades pass, the law can still reach back to correct the wrongs of the past.