Thirty-one years to the day, on October 25th, Netflix is set to release the cinematic adaptation of one of Nigeria’s most prolific aviation stories. The Robert Peters-directed film, Hijack ‘93 dramatizes the infamous hijack of an Abuja-bound Nigeria Airways flight, by four teenagers. The historical fiction welcomes a balanced mix of new talents – Allison Emmanuel (as Owiwi), Nnamdi Agbo (as Skipper), Oluwaseyi Akinsola (as Iku), and Adam Garba (as Kayode) as leads, and veteran, well-known actors – Bob Manuel, John Dumelo and Sam Dede as supporting cast.
In the coinciding of the incident’s 31st anniversary and the EndSARS protest’s 4th anniversary, the film is more than just another Nollywood flick, it’s “the reality of so many Nigerians and represents the response of those Nigerians.” Nnamdi Agbo (Skipper) says.
Allison, Nnamdi, Oluwaseyi, and Adam dial in from different parts of Lagos and Nsukka to discuss their roles and what viewers should take from this film, with writer and journalist, Kikachi Memeh.
What characters do each of you play?
Allison: I play Ben AKA Owiwi.
Adam: I played Kayode (AKA Eruku).
Oluwaseyi: I played Dayo also known as Iku
Nnamdi: My character’s name was Skipper.
And who do you imagine are the real-life counterparts?
Allison: Richard Ogunderu
Adam: Real life? Ah. I’m not too sure
Nnamdi: I think he played Kenny Rasaq-Lawal
Oluwaseyi: The real-life hijacker is Benneth Oluwadaisi.
Nnamdi: I played Kabiru Adenuga.
Why nicknames instead of the real names of group members?
Oluwaseyi: We were privileged to have conversations with the writer and in the first or second draft, it was without the nicknames, so we had previous names. The writer is trying to connect them to a metaphor, which is cool. For Allison, Owiwi is a bird who wants to be free. If you dig deep, you’ll be able to know that, okay, with these names, this is who they are, and the reason why they were on that plane.
Allison, what are your thoughts on this?
Allison: I really don’t know what the intentions were, I think it’s a film thing. I watched some films that portray real-life stories and most of the time they don’t bear the real names of the people involved unless it’s a biopic.
When the trailer came out, people assumed that it was going to be a biopic or it was going to be a documentary. It is not a documentary. It is not a biopic. It is a work of fiction based on a real-life story, so a lot of things can be altered to fit the writer’s vision and creativity.
What parts are fictional and what parts aren’t?
Nnamdi: The part which you know is real is the fact that these events happened. The hijack happened. The young men took the plane and were going to move it to a different destination. We know about some certain events, about the annulment, which the story is based on.
We know about some of the things that were done in the plane, it’s public information through interviews, things that they did in the plane, which you’re probably going to see. And at the same time, for dramatic purposes, things have to be able to change for you to understand what was really going on.
Adam: It’s based on true events, but it’s still a work of fiction. So the premise is what is real. And I think the fictional part is the script itself. Everything that was written in the script or almost. The characters, I think maybe the personalities, the drama, the setting, the action. I think a lot of those things were the fictional parts.
What would you say this film is really about?
Nnamdi: The film is more than just an event. It’s the reality of so many Nigerians and represents the response of those Nigerians.
Allison: It’s a story of zeal and it’s very relevant in today’s world. You can just see how much – regardless of what’s going on, of the storms and everything that we face – Nigerians are just still trying so hard to further on and soldier on.
Oluwaseyi: It’s a reminder that when people feel powerless when they feel ignored by their leaders, they often turn to measures that are very drastic to demand change.
I don’t want to give too much information, but there’s a scene where my character had to lose someone and coincidentally, it was shot the same day it happened in the story, June 12th. Assuming that character that day and the whole situation gave me a crazy view of how the character must have felt, how Nigerians must have felt on June 12th. It was like a retelling of exactly how it happened 30 years ago. Because even now in the present day, we still see people protesting, we still see people fighting for their rights, seeking justice.
It’s the same cry for democracy and accountability that filled the hijackers in 1993. This film challenges us to look at our history and ask ourselves, ‘How far have we come?’
The scenario in focus arose from a politically tense time. With Nigeria’s current political and economic landscape, and the general headspace of the people, why is this a film to watch now?
Allison: I believe this film is very timely because if you ask any Nigerian at this moment for their views on the country, you’re not going to get a positive response from anybody, rich, poor, middle class. If you’re bored and want to start a conversation, just go into a public post and say, “Omo this country nawa o” and you will see friends.
People have a lot of negative things to say currently about the economy of the country and during the time of the hijack, it was about democracy and the military regime, now we’re in democracy, but it’s a different ballgame. At the end of the day, you can still see that what we have in common between the time when this hijack happened and this present time is this displeasure of the masses, the displeasure of the citizens.
Before people get distracted by production details or story accuracy, what’s one thing you want viewers to take out of the film?
Nnamdi: What I want you to take from the film is the fact that these boys are a representation of you, of what you’re going through today. I want you to see that they are your everyday brother or sister who’s passing through the same situations and they showed you that they could push through and make a statement.
If they could do it, then you too can still make your statement even before you pass this world. Whether you like it or not, those guys’ names will forever be part of Nigeria’s history as boys who went against the status quo just get their voices heard, and you can do the same.
Oluwaseyi: Just like Nnamdi said, one thing I want people to take away from Hijack 93, is for them to pause and reflect on what it means when individuals feel so desperate for change that they are doing it.
One thing that most people don’t learn from, is the past. I want them to see this as a reflection of what has happened and how it can influence the society we are in right now. I’m not saying people should go and hijack a plane o, but at the same time, they need to get from this, the will to stand on what they believe in.
So it’s the call to action to never stop striving for a society where justice, democracy, equality, and not just ideas but our realities.
Adam: Well, I would like the audience to take in everything. Everything about the film, the story, the art form, and the technicalities. Naturally, every film speaks to each viewer differently, so people are going to criticize, and some people are going to applaud. That just happens with every film, whether it’s in Hollywood or Nollywood. I just want people to have a good time and if they learn something or two, even better.
I want them to just enjoy the film. To see the versatility, the actor’s range, and the director’s vision, just take in everything to absorb the art form that is film.
Allison: When the trailer came out, I went on X and I saw a lot of criticisms. People are talking about how Nollywood producers should not be allowed to tell historical, monumental stories that have significance in the history of Nigeria, and they should leave it to Hollywood to tell. I think that’s a very unambitious thing for anyone to say. Hijack 93 is a step in fostering Nollywood’s development. We should be given more chances to tell our stories. We should be giving more resources to tell our stories, and more opportunities to sell our stories. And when we tell those stories, even if it does not meet the standard that Hollywood has set, we should still realize that this is growth for our industry. Not doing it at all would deter the industry more than doing it will.
Oluwaseyi: Also, let me add this to it. I want people to see the story of the four boys. I want people to research them. So after seeing this film, I want people to go outside the comfort of just seeing the film to go online to search about them and what happened.
Hijack ‘93 will be available for streaming on Netflix from October 25th.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Kikachi Memeh is a Vancouver-based Nigerian writer, journalist, and interdisciplinary producer who documents the vibrant tapestry of Nigerian cinema. Her journalistic work, which focuses on Black and African arts and culture, has been featured in publications such as Africa is A Country, African Studies Review, The Republic Journal, Brittle Paper, AMAKA Studio, Vancouver Magazine, and Random Photography Journal.
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