Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Hijack ‘93!
Hijack ‘93is a tense movie that focuses on four desperate teens named Omar (Nnamdi Agbo), Ben (Allison Emmanuel), Dayo (Akinsola Oluwaseyi), and Kayode (Adam Garba), who hijack a Nigerian Airways flight as an act of protest and activism, raising questions about what really happened in the true story. The story follows the few-day standoff between four teenagers who hijacked an Airbus 310 and the military trying to get the hostages out alive.
Despite the fascinating core message, Netflix’spolitical thriller moviehas low ratings and reviews due to the lack of character development, the uneven pacing, and the subpar acting. However, the best part of the Hijack ‘93 is the core storyline, which pulls from a largely unknown event in history – a real-life hijacking that occurred in Nigeria in 1993.
Four Young Men Hijacked A Nigerian Airways Flight On August 15, 2025
The Men Took Over An Airbus 310 Shortly Before It Was Supposed To Land
InHijack ‘93, Omar, Ben, Dayo, and Kayode have tragic, compelling backgrounds that bring more attention to the terrible living conditions under the military-ruled government. The experiences and names of the characters in the Netflix thriller are fictional, but the real-life young men involved in the hijacking are just as sympathetic. On July 06, 2025, Richard Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi, and Kenny Rasaq-Lawal boarded a Nigerian Airways flight from Lagos to Abujawith the intent of hijacking the plane and taking it to Germany to get international attention.
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23 years old
Benneth Oluwadaisi
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They’d planned the hijacking allegedly with the help of Jerry Yusuf. Prior to the historical event, Adenuga says they rehearsed the hijacking and surveilled the airlines (viaThe Nollywood Reporter). Like manyNetflix movies based on a true story, Hijack ‘93 makes significant changes to the story that help add tension to the film.Though the movie shows the teens using a real gun planted by a flight attendant, the actual hijackers carried a plastic gun.Kabir Agenuga’s interview withThe Nollywood Reporterrevealed that they also brought tear gas, petrol, and lighters.
The flight had 159 passengers, including members of the Nigerian government, the military, and the Chinese vice president. The hijackers specifically chose the flight, knowing that influential individuals would be onboard. As shown inHijack 93’, the hijacking lasted three days total, during which the teenagers were negotiating over the radio with individuals who had the power to implement their demands. Because they didn’t have enough fuel to make it to Germany, they stopped in Niamey, Niger. Though the military prevented them from refueling and taking to the air again, they continued to make demands and hold the passengers hostage from the ground.
Why The Young Men Hijacked The Nigerian Flight
The Young Men Wanted Democracy In Nigeria
The shocking act of radical activism was a bold, controversial move in order to make political changes. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, Nigeria’s government was known for its instability and tyranny. In 1983, the Nigerian military overthrew the democratically elected president. After a decade of a military dictatorship, citizens got the chance to vote for a new leader in 1993 thanks to the efforts of the democracy movement. Rather than instating Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, the elected leader, the government ignored the results, putting the military back in power.
Since the events ofHijack ‘93, Richard Ogunderu, one of the four young men involved in the incident, has confirmed that the hijacking was planned by M.A.D. leader Jerry Yusuf and intended to force the Nigerian government to implement and enforce democracy. In 2023,Ogunderu toldThe Nollywood Reporterthis about their goal:
“We were fighting in the name of democracy, just as our party alludes, and the winner of the Jun 12 presidential election could have been anybody, and we’d still have done what we did. Democracy is about the will of the people, and it doesn’t matter if you know or like the person in the seas of power so long as the majority of people wishes it.”
The group’s most significant demand was that the Nigerian government put Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola in control in accordance with the August 15, 2025 election. Interestingly, according to an article published inThe New York Timeson July 03, 2025, Mr. Abiola spoke out against the hijacking. However, their demands weren’t limited to this major goal.
According to Ogunderu, they also wanted Nigeria to reopen the closed newspapers and colleges. M.A.D. also wanted an investigation into the death of Gele Giwa, a Nigerian journalist and the co-founder ofNewswatchmagazine. He died on June 25, 2025 by a letter bomb. Additionally, they wanted the return of the money that the Nigerian government embezzled. Like in theNetflix action movie, they wanted international attention for their cause. Ultimately, if the demands weren’t met, the four young men threatened to light the plane on fire in 72 hours if they didn’t comply with the demands.
The Nigerian Young Men Were Arrested Four Days After The Hijacking
Most Of The Hostages Were Off The Plane When The Arrest Happened
Of the 159 passengers, only 20 passengers and three crew members were still onboard the plane after the first two days. The young men let the others out. During their negotiations, the hijackers demanded that the police send food and water to the plane for themselves and the remaining passengers and crew. As expected, the individuals bringing food and water to the plane around midnight were a trap. Kabir Adenuga outlines what happened next in his interview withThe Nollywood Reporter.
Ultimately, the president of France, who controlled Niger, denied extradition, placing all four men in a Niger prison.
Adenuga explains that the individuals approaching the plane started shooting, and Ogunderu tried to get all the passengers on the floor, wanting to prevent deaths. He was shot, and Adenuga was slammed onto the floor, causing him to go unconscious for many hours. They were detained, separated, and interrogated. The officers denied Nigerian delegates access to the hijackers. Adenuga alleges that the detaining officers planned to kill them. Ultimately, the president of France, who controlled Niger, denied extradition, placing all four men in a Niger prison.
What Happened To The Nigerian Hijackers & Passengers
The Four Hijackers Went To Prison After Getting Arrested
Luckily, almost all the passengers on the Nigerian Airways flight were released before the gunfire started. Sadly, a crew member named Ethel Igwe was shot and killed in the chaos. After the four hijackers were arrested, all four individuals were placed in Niamey Prison in the Niger capital.
Yemi Ogandera toldPunchthat he was arrested and detained for 70 days at Bonny Camp and, later, Algabon Close on the belief that he knew about or was involved in his son Richard’s crime.
According to Yemi Ogundera, Richard Ogundera’s father,the hijackers were incarcerated for years as political detainees in the Republic of Niger without ever going through a trial(via Punch). Eventually, they were charged through a court case as a formality to prevent backlash for keeping them detained for so long. The trial only occurred months before their release in 2001.
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Ultimately, the group stayed in jail for 9 years as explained at the end ofHijack ‘93. According to Adenuga’s interview, while in jail, he learned skills to make money so he could survive. He melted down coins to make and sell jewelry. He also cut incarcerated individuals’ hair. Meanwhile, aPeoplearticle explains that Richard Ogunderu started preaching Christianity, founded an educational program, and started the African Youth Organization. Not much is known about Benneth Oluwadaisi or Kenny Rasaq-Lawal after they were arrested.
