Can you imagine teenagers hijacking a whole plane and holding it hostage for more than 3 days. Well, this was the story of four Nigerians teens aged between 16- 19 years of age. What really happened?
On 25th October 1993, a Nigerian Airways flight from Lagos to Abuja took a shocking turn when four Nigerian teenagers hijacked the plane. The country was still reeling from the annulment of the 12th June presidential election which many believed had been won by the late MKO Abiola. The hijackers named Richard Ajibola Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi and Kenny Razak- Lawal— were not ordinary teens. They were part of a group called the Movement for the Actualization of Democracy (MAD) which was led by Jerry Yusuf. Their mission was to protest the election annulment by rerouting the plane which had 137 passengers to either Frankfurt in Germany or Kotoko in Ghana. They believed this would help them deliver their message to the world.
Once in control, the teenagers made a shocking announcement: " Ladies and Gentlemen, this plane has been taken over by MAD Men. Remain calm, we will not harm you. " Their demand? The restoration of democracy in Nigeria. The boys initially tried to land in Gabon or Ghana but authorities in both countries refused their request. Finally, they were forced to divert the plane to Niamey in Niger Republic which neighbours Nigeria. For 70 tense hours, the plane was held hostage as the hijackers pushed their demands.
Unfortunately, the hijacking did not end peacefully. One crew member died, and five people, including one of the hijackers, were injured. The other hijackers were eventually captured. This dramatic event remains one of the most unforgettable hijacking incidents in Nigeria' s history. As at the time of writing the article, Netflix is set to premier a film that tells the story of that hijack. What is your take on this? Kindly drop in your comments as you like share and follow this channel for more exclusive and interesting articles.
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