The 2023 movie is titled ‘Hijack ’93’ – a movie from the Nigerian genre which falls under the disaster category. Robert O. Peters directed the film while the writer is Musa Jeffery David. He tells the story based on a true event which occurred on October 25th, in the year Nineteen Hundred And Ninety Three, when Nigerian Airways was hijacked.
Plot Overview:
Four teenagers: Skipper (Nnamdi Agbo), Eruku (Adam Garba), Owiwi (Allison Emmanuel), and Iku (Oluwaseyi Akinsola) cross armed with guns and hijack a Nigerian Airways plane, an Airbus A310. Their list of demands raises the concern of general Ibrahim Babangida, at the time of this incident the defense minister of Nigeria, T, on Nigeria’s government oppressive policies and human violations.
Cast:
- Nnamdi Agbo as Skipper
- Adam Garba as Eruku
- Allison Emmanuel as Owiwi
- Oluwaseyi Akinsola as Iku
- Sam Dede
- Bob Manuel
- John Dumelo
- Idia Aisien
- Nancy Isime
- Efa Iwara
- Sharon Ooja
Critical Reception:
The film, however, has received received a fair share of criticism from the audience. In Rotten Tomatoes, reviews from the audience about this film lament on the direction and acting, and some went as far as calling it a ‘dancing hard watch”, as one accused the writers of the script being “lazy” and “lacking imagination”.
Availability:
The film ‘Hijack ‘93’ was put up by the Netflix app on the twenth fifth day of the October in the year twenty twenty four and is currently available for streaming.
Historical Context:
The film is a reenactment of the events that took place on 1993, when the Nigeria Airways was seized by four teenagers: Richard Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi, Kenni Rasaq-Lawal who hijacked the flight as a means to restore democracy in Nigeria.
Their actions were a demonstration against the cancellation of the June 12 election which would have seen Moshood Abiola as the winner. They managed to keep the crew and passengers of the aircraft they hijacked for 3 days until a military intervention broke out the siege and they were captured.
Cultural Significance:
In what became a crucial phase in Nigeria’s history, “Hijack ’93” takes us back to the early 90’s political struggles in Nigeria and the passion of the people who sacrificed for democratic change.
For those who love history and the struggle for democracy, Hijack ’93 offers a fresh insight into Nigeria’s experience in its quest for democratic rule.