Approximately 29 years after the hijacking of Nigerian Airways in 1993, a Nigerian-UK co-production will attempt to bring history to life and recreate a film based on this true story.
The project, titled ‘Hijack 93: The Mad Men & The Aircraft’, would become Nigeria’s first hijacking film.
The hijacked 1993 Nigerian Airways was a domestic flight from Lagos to Abuja, which took off on Monday, October 25, 1993, amid unrest over the June 12 cancellation.
Four Nigerian teenagers, Richard Ajibola Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi and Kenny Razak-Lawal, hijacked the plane carrying 137 passengers.
They reportedly said: “Ladies and gentlemen, this plane has been taken over by MAD Men; Movement for the Update of Democracy… MAD…. Keep calm, we won’t hurt you. They will tell you where the plane will land.”
The four hijackers said they were acting for the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy (MAD) led by Jerry Yusuf.
His mission was to divert the flight to Frankfurt, Germany or Kotoko, Ghana, to declare his organization’s message to the world.
His action was in protest against the annulment of the 1993 presidential election which the late MKO Abiola is believed to have won.
To kidnap
They managed to divert the Nigerian Airways A310 bus to the Republic of Niger after talks with the authorities in Gabon and Ghana failed.
There they held the plane hostage for 70 hours, demanding the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria.
The operation left one dead, one crew member and five wounded, including one of the four captured hijackers.
The UK Government’s Department for International Trade (DIT), which actively seeks out and facilitates UK-Nigeria co-productions in film and television, is the title sponsor of the film.
The four hijackers of the 1993 Nigerian Airways flight
The British Film Institute, BFI, will also tell this legendary African story through the lens of film.
Collaboration
Filmmaker Charles Okpaleke described the project as a unique creative mission for Gaming Network Studios and Native Media TV, in collaboration with British filmmaker Femi Oyeniran.
The co-contributors say that a story of an African must be informed and defined by Africans. Contributors to the project are critically acclaimed Nigerian producers and one of the UK’s top producers and filmmakers.
First up is Rogers Ofime, whose films ‘No Voice’ and ‘Olobiri’ tell stories that showcase his experience and exposure in the industry.
There’s Charles Okpaleke, the man behind the initiative, with award-winning films including, but not limited to, Living in Bondage, Rattlesnake: the Ahanna Story and Glamor Girls.
Third is Agozie Ugwu, a film director and producer, who produced the recently released Aki and Pawpaw for Play Network Studios.
There’s Femi Oyeniran, one of Britain’s top producers and directors, who wrote an episode of Idris Elba’s Netflix original series Turn Up Charlie.
Mr. Oyeniran has been a major actor in the following productions: Sky Atlantic Series: Tin Star, Comedy Central’s Drunk History: Black Stories and BET’s first UK-originated programme, The Culture Capsule.