On October 25 of 1993, four Nigerian teenagers hijacked a Nigerian Airways airbus A310 that was flying from Lagos to Abuja and diverted the plane to Niamey, Niger Republic.

How did they do it? And why?

An election had happened on June 12 of that year. It was and still is recognized as a “free and fair” election which was meant to bring MKO Abiola into power as President of Nigeria, having won majority votes.

But the expected did not happen as the then Military Head of States, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election.

This led to riots and protests across the country, especially in the southern parts of Nigeria.

These four teenagers - Richard Ogunderu (19), Kabir Adenuga (18), Benneth Oluwadaisi (20) and Kenny Rasaq Lawal (19) - were among those protesting against this annulment. So, they decided to do something radical.

They all unassumingly boarded the flight at Muritala Mohammed Airport alongside other passengers. About 16mins before landing, they waited until the pilot announced that passengers should fasten their seat belts and prepare for landing.

Then they stood and made an announcement that was quoted thus:

“Ladies and gentlemen, this plane has been taken over by the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy. Remain calm, we will not harm you. You will be told where the plane will land you. You do not move or you die.”

The leader of the hijackers, Richard Ogunderu, walked into the cockpit and seized the process, and then one other followed. Two remained to watch over the passengers.

When Richard got to the cockpit, the pilot knew immediately it was an attack and obeyed the instructions given to him by the hijackers.

Ogunderu then asked the pilot to divert the aircraft straight to Germany. The pilot convinced him the plane did not carry sufficient fuel to crossover the Atlantic and then suggested they divert to a nearby country, Niger or they will crash and everybody dies.

The two hijackers told the pilot what they wanted was where they could give publicity to their reason for the hijack. They told him they wanted the plane to go to Germany, because they could have a good press coverage that would support their democratic cause for Nigeria. But that couldn’t happen because of the fuel shortage.

They agreed to land in Niamey, Niger Republic.

Upon landing, the hijackers found themselves surrounded by hundreds of armed Nigeriène soldiers at the airport.

So, they distributed their demands in a pamphlets among the passengers in the plane calling on the Nigerian government to overturn the annulment of the June 12 election.

They gave the government 72 hours to meet their demands or else they would set the plane ablaze.

To show they were not ready to kill anyone so long as the government listens to them, they released 34 of the 193 passengers, among whom were top Nigerian government officials.

The leader of the hijackers also spoke to a BBC correspondent. The correspondent asked what they were fighting for, and he told him, they wanted to actualize the mandate given by the Nigerian people to M.K.O Abiola.

Nigerian government sent 24 delegates to come and talk to the hijackers, but none of them entered the aircraft to talk to them, instead they were in the hotel, asking them to come down.

The Nigeriene soldiers were also not able to storm the plane because the hijackers claimed to have rigged the plane with explosives. So, they had to resort to negotiations as the hijackers kept the remaining passengers hostage.

For three days, the hijackers and the passengers fed on coffee & biscuits.

Eventually, they ran out of water for coffee. One of the passengers demanded for water and the hijackers had to reach out to the Nigeriène soldiers to bring some water to the plane.

Under the guise of bringing them water and food, the Nigeriène soldiers were able to realize that the hijackers were not armed. So they waited till night, and under the cover of darkness, they stormed the plane.

The four teenagers were arrested, cuffed hands behind their backs and taken straight to a prison cell.

The hijackers spoke neither Hausa nor French and nobody made any attempt to question them in English. They were denied food for days.

The hijackers were remanded in Niamey prison for 8 years before they were released in 2001.

The Nigerian government didn’t even bother requesting for them to be extradited. They wanted them away from Nigerian soil, to prevent them becoming a symbol of resistance to Nigeria's youths.

***

A lot of us often say that members of the old generation didn’t do too much against the bad leadership we have always had in this country. This story just goes to show that some of them have dared to do the impossible.

It is insane bravery for teenagers to hijack a plane just so they can have the country of their dreams.

These guys deserve to be honoured for their efforts towards the fight for Democracy in Nigeria.

Perhaps, someday a movie will be shot to tell their story and immortalize their efforts.

I found a 2020 Tribune interview with the leader of the hijackers. You can read the link in my first comment.

***

Some of us may not have the audacity to hijack a plane, but we can show commitment to getting our PVCs, going out to actually vote for our chosen candidate, and standing by our vote.

God bless Nigeria.

NB: This story and attached picture were gotten from @NaijaHistoryGrp on Twitter and retold by me.

Find previous stories I have shared via this hashtag: #NaijaStoriesWithGlowVille

Good morning.

©️Glow Ville

Here is a link to the Tribune interview: https://tribuneonlineng.com/how-we-carried-out-the-1993-nigerian-airways-hijack-ogunderu/

Heroes and true faces of democracy.

God bless these young men, truly they are heros

Nigerian Heros. It pains me how they ended up, the life of a revolutionary is a sad one.

donbachi:
Heroes and true faces of democracy.

Yes, True Heroes.

These are the type of guys we should name roads and stadiums after

Not embezzling crooks

Transcriber:
These are the type of guys we should name roads and stadiums after

Not embezzling crooks

I tell you. But we keep missing it.

viyon02:
God bless these young men, truly they are heros

Amen

donbachi:
Heroes and true faces of democracy.

Which heroes. Dem be typical agbero. Wetin dem achieve. MKO kpai for prison 99, without ever smelling Aso Rock. E fit even be sey FG employ those hooligans to make the June 12 movement look deadly so that dem go fit use martial law. Like how dem stop EndSars

osinbanjoisaliar:


Which heroes. Dem be typical agbero. Wetin dem achieve. MKO kpai for prison 99, without ever smelling Aso Rock. E fit even be sey FG employ those hooligans to make the June 12 movement look deadly so that dem go fit use martial law. Like how dem stop EndSars

Wow, I’m interested in your thought. Any facts to back your claims

osinbanjoisaliar:


Which heroes. Dem be typical agbero. Wetin dem achieve. MKO kpai for prison 99, without ever smelling Aso Rock. E fit even be sey FG employ those hooligans to make the June 12 movement look deadly so that dem go fit use martial law. Like how dem stop EndSars

which one ur generation do... Apart from hookups.

donbachi:
which one ur generation do... Apart from hookups.

Hookup better pass agbero work

dis dayz na old men dey HIJACK national CAKE

Ogbodavies:
dis dayz na old men dey HIJACK national CAKE

Hmm... Word.