Lifestyle
PHOTOS: The Untold Story of Nigeria’s First Political Plane Hijack
“Ladies and gentlemen, This Plane Has Been Taken Over By The Movement for the Advancement of Democracy (MAD).”
On the morning of October 25, 1993, passengers aboard Nigeria Airways Flight WT470 were jolted by an announcement that would become one of the most shocking acts of civil disobedience in Nigeria’s history.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this plane has been taken over by the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy (MAD). Remain calm, we will not harm you. You will be told where the plane will land you.”
The voice belonged to Richard Ogunderu, a 19-year-old fresh secondary school graduate. Alongside Kabir Adenuga (aged 22), Kenny Rasaq-Lawal (aged 23), and Benneth Oluwadaisi (aged 24), they had just hijacked a domestic flight from Lagos to Abuja.
Their mission?
To draw the world’s attention to the annulment of Nigeria’s freest and fairest election, the June 12, 1993.
BACKGROUND
In the year 1993, Nigeria was at a historic crossroad. After nearly a decade of military rule under General Ibrahim Babangida who had banned, unbanned and re-banned political activities, a along-promised transition seemed finally within reach.
A glimmer of hope emerged with the announcement of a presidential election, the first since 1983.
He permitted a presidential elections to hold on June 12, 1993 which is still remembered today as the freest and fairest in Nigerian history. The presumed winner, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, represented the will of the people.
Abiola, was on the verge of leading Nigeria into a new democratic dawn until Babangida annulled the results, citing vague “security threats” and irregularities.
Nigerians erupt in protests. Cities burned with anger and rage. All Labour unions downed their tools. The nation demand answer.
Under immense pressure, Babangida “stepped aside” on August 26, 1993, handing power to an unelected Interim National Government (ING) led by Chief Ernest Shonekan.
To many Nigerians, the ING was an insult, a puppet regime designed to cover up the treachery of June 12….
That frustration was what MAD sought to amplify. The hijackers chose their moment carefully. Flight WT470 wasn’t just another plane, it carried several high-profile passengers, including:
Brigadier-General Hafiz Momoh, Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)
Professor Jubril Aminu, former Minister of Petroleum
Rong Yiren, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China
The hijackers boarded the flight with terrifying ease. The metal detectors at the domestic wing of Lagos Airport had been out of service since 1987. They smuggled aboard petrol stored in raffia bags, lighters, a tear gas canister, jackknives, and what they later claimed were replica firearms.
Once the plane was in the air, they revealed themselves, poured petrol on the floor and on themselves, and issued their demands: the aircraft should be diverted to Frankfurt, Germany.
Frankfurt was out of reach without refueling. The pilots first tried to land in N’Djamena, Chad, but were denied entry. The same response came from Gabon and Ghana. Eventually, the plane was permitted to land at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, capital of the Republic of Niger. After taking over the plane that day, they handed out printed MAD manifestos to the passengers.
Hours after landing in Niamey, the hijackers released 123 hostages, mostly women, children, and foreign nationals like Rong Yiren. The next day, General Momoh was also freed, as his hypertensive condition worsened under stress. But the hijackers held onto other high-profile passengers, hoping to force the Nigerian government’s hand.
They issued five bold demands:
1. Justice for Dele Giwa, the Newswatch editor killed by a parcel bomb in 1986.
2. An official investigation into the crash of a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft in 1992 that killed over 150 military officers.
3. A full explanation of the annulment of the June 12 elections.
4. The exposure and prosecution of those responsible for the annulment.
5. The official recognition of MKO Abiola as the legitimate President of Nigeria.
They gave a 72-hour deadline, after which they threatened to burn the plane with all remaining passengers on board.
While the hijack played out in Niger, Jerry Yusuf, a little-known cocoa trader and former Germany-based activist, had already introduced himself to the Nigerian press as the founder of MAD. Just a week earlier, he had walked into the offices of The Nigerian Tribune and spoke passionately about restoring democracy, spiritual visions, and his willingness to die for Nigeria.
The interview was published days before the hijack, effectively tying him to the incident. Nigerian authorities began hunting him immediately.
In the dead of night on October 28, 1993, as the 72-hour deadline expired, Nigerien special forces launched a commando-style assault on the aircraft. A brief but intense gunfight ensued.
Richard Ogunderu was shot in the leg but survived.
Ethelbert Nwanze Igwe, a 35-year-old assistant purser on the flight, was not so lucky. He was killed in the crossfire, the only fatality of the hijacking.
The four hijackers and Jerry Yusuf who had been arrested and extradited to Niger were imprisoned in Niger. Yusuf was released in 2000, and the rest of the group walked free in 2002 after nearly a decade behind bars.
Upon their return to Nigeria, the hijackers found a country still spinning in political instability. MKO Abiola had been imprisoned in 1994 after declaring himself President in a bold speech delivered in the Epetedo area of Lagos. He died mysteriously in detention on July 7, 1998, just weeks after General Sani Abacha, the military strongman who overthrew Shonekan, also died suddenly.
At a press appearance after his release, Ogunderu explained why he joined the hijack plot:
“I wanted to leave Nigeria for greener pastures. But then I met Jerry Yusuf, and I realized I couldn’t run from this country’s problems forever.”
He believed the only meaningful way to fix Nigeria was to stand and fight, not flee.
Today, the 1993 plane hijack remains a largely forgotten episode in Nigeria’s long, turbulent struggle for democracy. Overshadowed by the drama of Abiola’s arrest and death, buried under the military boot of Sani Abacha, and erased by the passage of time, the story of MAD is barely remembered.
Even MKO Abiola distanced himself from the hijack, condemning it as misguided. Many activists labelled it reckless. And with the death of an innocent airline staff, the moral ground of the action was heavily debated.
Yet, the hijackers never intended to kill. They said so themselves. What they wanted, desperately was for Nigeria to listen.
A youthful cry, echoing through a country that was no longer listening.
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