One of the four teenagers who hijacked a Nigeria Airways flight in 1993 has slammed former military ruler Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, calling him a “coward” following his recent acknowledgment of the annulment of the June 12 presidential election.
On October 25, 1993, Nigeria Airways Flight 470, bound from Lagos to Abuja, was seized by Richard Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi, and Kenny Rasaq-Lawal, all aged 16 to 18. Armed with makeshift weapons, the group diverted the Airbus A310-221 to Niamey, Niger, demanding the reinstatement of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola’s victory in the annulled election.
The hijackers demanded that the Nigerian military-backed interim government resign and name Moshood Abiola as the president. The four hijackers said they would set the Airbus 310 on fire in 72 hours if this demand was not met. After two hours of negotiations, they freed 129 people, including Rong Yiren, from the plane and held back the crew and Nigerian government officials.
Abiola, a prominent businessman and SDP candidate, had won the widely acclaimed free and fair vote against Bashir Tofa of the NRC, but Babangida nullified the results, citing electoral irregularities and causing national outrage and unrest.
The hijacking was one of Nigeria’s most dramatic acts of civil disobedience and ended with Nigerian security forces storming the plane, resulting in the death of one crew member, Ethel Igwe, and injuries to others.
The hijackers were arrested, imprisoned, and spent nine years and four months in a Niger prison, facing lifelong stigma.
Now, 32 years later, Babangida, who has long been criticized for his role in the annulment of the June 12 election, has publicly admitted for the first time that MKO Abiola was the legitimate winner in his 420-page memoir, *A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida.
“Although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election, upon further reflection and a closer examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results, which are published as an appendix to this book, there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 elections,” Babangida admitted in his book.
He explained that Abiola received 8,128,720 votes compared to Tofa’s 5,848,247 and had met the requirements for majority votes and geographical spread. Babangida, however, defended his decision to annul the election, claiming it was done in “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,” he said.
Reacting to Babangida’s apology, one of the hijackers, identified as “Hassan Rasaq-Lawal,” now in his 50s, appeared in an exclusive BBC interview, calling the former Head of State a “coward” for his role in destroying Nigeria’s democracy.
“For Babangida to say that the June 12 election was annulled by him… For him to be saying the truth now; he is a coward…” Rasaq-Lawal said in the interview snippet video, which aired on BBC News Africa.
Benneth Oluwadaisi, another hijacker, told BBC News Africa how the incident had forever altered his personal aspirations.
Oluwadaisi revealed that his dream of becoming a chartered accountant was shattered by the events surrounding the hijacking after spending nine years, four months in a Niger prison.
“To be a chartered accountant really was my goal, and that was what the hijacking took from me. It has made me illiterate,” Oluwadaisi said.
