Netflix’s newly released historical drama Hijack ’93 is a 90-minute, suspenseful ride that locks viewers in their seats. The film follows four desperate teenagers on a mission to hijack a Nigerian Airways plane in protest of a violent, militarized government regime. Fighting for a peaceful transfer of power over to the Social Democratic Party leader elected by the Nigerian people, the young and daring Omar (Nnamdi Agbo), Ben (Allison Emmanuel), Dayo (Akinsola Oluwaseyi), and Kayode (Adam Garba) threaten to burn the aircraft down.
Inspired by the real-life hijacking of a flight after the annulled 1993 election in Nigeria, director Robert Peters’ dramatization expertly blends reality with fiction. Using empathetic characters willing to do whatever it takes to make their voices heard and dialogue that engages the gray areas between right and wrong, the film focuses less on accuracy and more on exploring the terror and nuance of morality. Audiences are not only left with questions about the frightening true story behind Hijack ‘93 as a passenger but also the socio-political horrors faced by its hijackers that piloted them toward such an extreme act of protest.
The True Story Behind Hijack ’93
The 1980s and 1990s in Nigeria were a time marked by severe social and political unrest. After the Nigerian military staged a coup in 1983 to overthrow President Shehu Shagri’s government against the people’s vote, the next decade saw military leaders repeatedly force themselves into power. However, in 1993, the country’s citizens went to the polls for the first time in 10 years. With over eight million votes, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO Abiola) of the Social Democratic Party won. Unfortunately, the will of the people was ignored yet again. Citing security threats as an excuse, the election was annulled and another militarized government was instated.
. In opposition, a rebel group called The Movement for Democracy formed. Unable to make social change through their votes, the organization began waging a war against their oppressors, seeking fair and free elections.
On Oct. 25, 1993, four teenage party members (Benneth Oluwadaisi, Kabir Adenuga, Richard Ogunderu, and Kenny Rasaq-Lawal) hijacked an Airbus A310 of Nigerian Airways
. Knowing there were top Nigerian officials on the flight, the boys took over control with the primary intention of forcing the rightful president, MKO Abiola, into office.Despite their efforts, the plan was halted;
without enough fuel to make it to their destination in Germany, the plane was forced to land in Niger
. After the Nigerian Army and Air Force arrived, the hijackers
took 193 passengers hostage
and threatened to set the plane on fire in 78 hours if their demands were not met. However, being champions for good,
they quickly released everyone except for the Nigerian government officials
.On Oct. 28, authorities violently entered the plane in the middle of the night. Several shots were fired by military members, resulting in Richard being injured and one crew member’s (Ethel Igwe) death. Avoiding the imminent torture of the Nigerian military,
the hijackers were instead arrested, tried, and served nine-year sentences in Niger
. However, the Nigerian people continued to suffer.
The hijackers’ message for social change was heard around the world, but power in Nigeria was still taken by a newly appointed dictator, General Sani Abacha until 1998
.
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Does the Plot of Hijack ’93 Follow Real Events?
Sticking to the general framework of the real-life hijacking, Hijack ’93 similarly tells the story of four teenagers fighting for The Movement for the Advancement of Democracy as they hijack a Nigerian Airways flight set in 1993. Motivated by continued governmental disregard and abuse, the hijackers take control of the plane using weapons smuggled in by an unknown crew member. Their sole purpose: to send a message to the government and ensure their Social Democratic Party leader is put into power following the unlawful annulment of the election results. After being forced to land in Niger to refuel, the Nigerian military arrives to make sure they can not take off again.
For over three days, the hijackers keep the passengers and crew hostage, threatening to shoot them with smuggled weapons or to light the gasoline-doused plane on fire if the government does not concede to their demands. During that time, viewers ricochet from moments of building chaos and character understanding. Military members on board attempt to fight the hijackers, a woman goes into labor, the Nigerian Army arrests and tortures the hijackers’ family members, and a passenger is accidentally shot by Ben in a fit of rage.
Sandwiched between these suspenseful scenes, viewers get to know the hijackers’ backgrounds. Ben was subjected to abuse by his father, Omar lost his mother in need of medical attention despite his prayers, Dayo is pained by the death of his young daughter from gun violence, and Kayode is covered in horrific scars implied to have been caused by the brutal Nigerian military in control. As a result, viewers empathize with the hijackers’ pain, desperation for change, and courage to fight extreme oppression through extreme measures.
While Director Robert Peters uses details from the real story, he fictionalizes the hijackers’ names, their lives, and the stressful situations on the plane. The real hijackers weren’t working with any crew members (the gun used to enter the cockpit was a toy), no one gave birth on the flight, and no passengers outside the Nigerian government officials on board were killed or held hostage for more than a day. Additionally, the film depicts the Nigerian army gaining the hijackers’ surrender by poisoning their highest-profile hostage. In reality, the hijackers never surrendered, but were arrested after the plane was entered at gunpoint.
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Hijack ’93 Highlights the Nuance of Fighting for Good
Hijack ’93 is a movie that uses pieces of history and dramatizes them to reflect the absoluteness of how society views morality, especially when combating evil. At the beginning of the film, audiences are thrown into a dangerous situation with the passengers. Guns are drawn, tensions are high, and the hijackers are shown as the bad guys causing it all.
However, as the film develops, so does its characters. They go from one-dimensional villains to fully-fleshed-out human beings who take care of the passengers on board and plead for them to join their movement to help bring prosperity for all instead of an elite, wealthy few. They’re also motivated by traumatic pasts. When violence controls a person’s life, it’s understandable to become desperate enough to fight back with violence. The hijackers were not evil, but young men who were driven to this point, not to hurt their neighbors, but to draw attention to and correct the injustices they all faced.
The film leaves viewers with the same ending the real hijackers received: they are arrested and tried in Niger and will have their stories told. Regardless of the continued Nigerian military regime in their home country, they became heroes to their fellow citizens who saw their example of what it means to truly be good — to fight against persecution, and to fight for those who cannot. Stream on Netflix.
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