One of the four teenagers who hijacked a Nigeria Airways flight in 1993 has criticized former military ruler Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, branding him a “coward” following his recent admission regarding the annulment of the June 12 presidential election.
On October 25, 1993, Nigeria Airways Flight 470, en route from Lagos to Abuja, was seized by Richard Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi, and Kenny Rasaq-Lawal, all aged between 16 and 18. Armed with makeshift weapons, they redirected the Airbus A310-221 to Niamey, Niger, demanding that Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola be recognized as the rightful winner of the annulled election.
The hijackers insisted that the military-backed interim government step down and declare Abiola president, threatening to set the plane ablaze within 72 hours if their demands were not met. Following two hours of negotiations, they released 129 passengers, including prominent Chinese politician Rong Yiren, but kept the crew and Nigerian government officials hostage.
Abiola, a wealthy businessman and candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), had defeated Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in what was widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election. However, Babangida nullified the results, citing electoral irregularities, a decision that triggered widespread unrest.
The hijacking, one of the most dramatic acts of civil disobedience in Nigeria’s history, ended when security forces stormed the plane, resulting in the death of crew member Ethel Igwe and injuries to others. The four hijackers were arrested and spent over nine years in a Nigerien prison before their eventual release, facing lifelong stigma thereafter.
Now, 32 years later, Babangida has, for the first time, publicly acknowledged that Abiola was the rightful winner. In his newly released 420-page memoir, A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida, the former head of state admitted:
“Although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won, upon further reflection and a closer examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results, there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 elections.”
According to Babangida, Abiola secured 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,848,247 and met all constitutional requirements for victory. However, he defended the annulment, arguing that it was in the “extreme national interest” to ensure Nigeria’s survival.
“As the leader of the military administration, I accept full responsibility for all decisions taken by me. And June 12 happened under my watch. Mistakes, oversights, and missteps happen in quick succession, but I say in my book, in all matters, we acted in extreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive.”
In response, one of the hijackers, Hassan Rasaq-Lawal, now in his 50s, condemned Babangida in an exclusive interview with the BBC, calling him a “coward” for his delayed acknowledgment of the truth.
“For Babangida to now admit that he annulled the June 12 election… For him to be telling the truth only now? He is a coward,” Rasaq-Lawal said in a video aired on BBC News Africa.
Another hijacker, Benneth Oluwadaisi, reflected on how the hijacking changed the course of his life, telling BBC News Africa that his dream of becoming a chartered accountant was crushed by his years in prison.
“To be a chartered accountant was my goal, and that was what the hijacking took from me. It has made me illiterate,” Oluwadaisi lamented.
The dramatic events of 1993 remain a significant chapter in Nigeria’s political history, with the hijacking standing as a bold, though controversial, act of protest against military rule.
