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How Four Nigerian Teens Hijacked A Plane Conveying China’s Vice President and Others ‘Because of MKO Abiola’ In 1993

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Background

The clamour for democracy heightened after President Ibrahim Babangida annulled the June 12 1993 presidential election which proclaimed M.K.O Abiola as the winner.

Babangida annulled the election on the grounds of “electoral irregularities”. Before he stepped down from power on the 26th of August, 1993, he set up an interim government that would oversee the transition of power to a democratically elected government…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

The Earnest Shonekan-led Interim National Government had no plan whatsoever to cede power to Abiola and this earned it opposition from Abiola and his loyalists.

During its short stay, the Interim National Government witnessed many pro-democracy protests in the country one of which was the hijacking of Nigerian Airways Airbus A310 by four Nigerian teenagers.

The four plane hijackers
The four plane hijackers

How It Happened

On the 25th of October, 1993, a domestic Nigerian Airways airbus scheduled to fly from Lagos to Abuja was hijacked by four Nigerian teenagers who claimed to be acting for the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy (MAD).  The teenagers – Richard Ogunderu, Benneth Oluwadaisi, Kabir Adenuga and Kenny Rasaq-Lawal cleverly smuggled toy guns into the plane and began operation mid-flight.

OldNaija gathered that there were 159 people on the hijacked Airbus 310. As soon as the plane reached about 30,000 feet above sea level, the boys sprang into action. They gained access to the cockpit and one of them announced,

“Ladies and gentlemen, this plane has been taken over by the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy, remain calm, we will not harm you. You will be told where the plane will land you.”

Their initial plan was to divert the Lagos-Abuja flight to Frankfurt in Germany but decided to land in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic after the pilots insisted there wasn’t enough fuel to reach Frankfurt. The plane had sought to land in Ndjamena, Chad, for refueling but was denied permission and diverted to Niamey.

In 2009, Richard Ogunderu, one of the four hijackers, recounted his role in the incident; he recalled that “the air hostesses were almost stone-dead, gripped by fear. We wanted change. Our action confirmed that when a system is inhumane, it could produce the extreme in all of us.” READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

He added, “I walked into the cockpit and seized the process, and then the others followed me. Two of us stayed back to intimidate the passengers. We took over the plane and asked the pilot to head for another country.”

The young hijackers stated the need to restore democracy and actualize the annulled June 12 election as the reasons for the hijack. Among other things they demanded were press freedom in Nigeria, the trial of all those who collaborated with the military regime, and the dissolution of the present interim government which they described as “illegal”.

Richard Ogunderu with the late Pa Anthony Enahoro, when he (Richard) returned from prison

During the operation, they separated men from women and government officials from ordinary citizens. On getting to Niger Republic, they freed 34 hostages. Those freed included Vice President Rong Yiren of China, said Souley Abdouleye, Niger’s transportation minister in 1993. The Interior Ministry said the people held included Nigerian Government officials and six crew members.

OldNaija gathered that the hijackers gave the Nigerian government a 72 hours ultimatum to meet their demands or else, they would blow up the plane with the hostages. Local and international media were amazed that such an incident could happen in Nigeria, considered an aviation safe haven.

The Rescue

The four teenagers had control of the plane for three days until the military stormed the premises. On the 28th of October, 1993, after Nigerian authorities gave the order to storm the aircraft, the hostages were rescued. The rescue operation left one dead (a member of the crew) and five injured, including one of the four captured hijackers, Richard Ogunderu. With their arms cramped on their backs, they were handcuffed and taken to prison.

Richard and a colleague inside Niamey prison
Richard and a colleague inside Niamey prison

Lawal, one of the four hijackers said they were taken to a prison in a community with day temperature in the range of 55 degree centigrade. “We were poorly fed. We could neither speak Hausa nor French and nobody spoke English to us.”

The hijackers spent nine years and four months in Niamey prison without family contact whatsoever. They were later released in 2002.

 

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METRO

Surgeons were left stunned and ‘screamed in disbelief by what they found in drunk man’s stomach’! –

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We need to be careful in what we eat and not only physically, but also spiritually and psychologically. If we eat healthy food physically, we will have a proper growth and development, and our body will be supplied with good ingredients for its normal functioning.

But, we also need to be careful what we insert into our bodies. Sometimes people accidentally swallow something they shouldn’t. This was not the case with this drunk man.

Per reports, the surgeons were stunned when they needed to remove a steel cup from a man’s stomach, which they believe was initially inserted into his ‘behind…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

An unnamed man was reporting stomach pains for several days and no treatment seemed to work, despite seeing multiple doctors, according to The Post. He then saw Dr. Lal, who did an X-ray and discovered the cup inside him. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

The man was then rushed to surgery where surgeons successfully removed a cup the size of a hand from what appears to be an incision in his stomach.

According to The Post, video shows the procedure which begins with one doctor cleaning the stomach area before carefully removing the silver cup with the bottom of the object facing up. Medical staff appears to be in disbelief as the surgeon holds up the tumbler for the camera.

The man, who works as a laborer, has recovered well, according to reports. The medical professionals have hypothesized that the cup reached his stomach after being inserted up the man’s ‘behind’. Doctors said the man got extremely drunk with three strangers after returning from a grocery store, where he had gone to get vegetables. By the time he sobered up, the unknown people were not present, and doctors aren’t sure if the man shoved the cup up his rectum himself or if he was assaulted.

 

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3-Year-Old Girl Drowns In Shocking Accident Outside Of Ice Cream Store. Suddenly, Her Mother Remembers Her Blanket –

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The love of a child is priceless, so when that child passes away, it is a very devastating thing to intake. It is hard on the parents as well as the family. However, the love and joy for that child never goes away and they live forever through memories of happiness.

Three-year-old Sadie Grace Andrews is will forever be remember and honored after she was killed accidentally while outside of an ice cream parlor.

In Auburn, Alabama, Sadie was outside playing with her other siblings when by accident she ended up slipping into a grease trap and drowned.

Now she is being honored and remembered for her remarkable love Of God and the ones she cared for the most…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

“She had more faith than any child I’ve ever seen,” Sadie’s mother, Corrie Andrews, told AL.com. “And I’m not just saying that because she was my child.”

“We know without a shadow of a doubt, our baby is with Jesus,” Corrie added.

Corrie says that her daughter’s name means, “God’s Thoughtful Princess,” and that is exactly what Sadie was. She was the perfect princess, the best reflect of what her name embodies.

“And she really was that—always expressing gratefulness and love for God and other people. She would light up a room with her smile; she walked with a skip in her step. I’ve never met a more joyful child who loved God with all her heart.”

Sadie’s father, Tracy Andrews, said that he’s happy, appreciative and grateful for the three years that he along with their family got with spend with their precious Sadie, and reflected on the many lessons his daughter was able to teach him about life and love.

“She taught me about being happy and loving life and loving people,” Tracy said. “At 3 years old, there’s no preconceived notions. To her, everybody was good. She didn’t see the bad. She just loved people and it didn’t matter what they did.”

Lance and Kara Latham are the owners of Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, the shop where Sadie tragically drowned on Saturday. They released a Facebook statement on Sunday, extending their deepest condolences for the family’s loss. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

“As the owner of the Auburn Bruster’s, our deepest condolences go to the family of the child who tragically died Saturday. They are acquaintances of ours and have been regular customers. We are truly heartbroken that this happened. Our thoughts also are with our young crewmember who tried to revive the child. Like all of us, he is quite shaken. The entire Bruster’s family is horribly saddened by this tragic accident.”

They encouraged others in the community to continue praying for the Andrews family.

Sadie’s uncle, Chad Vermillion, also organized a YouCaring campaign on the family’s behalf.

“The body of Christ is powerful when we act together and if we can help alleviate their burden let’s do so,” Vermillion wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “Above all else, please pray for my dear sister Corrie and brother-in-law Tracy. The pain is insurmountable right now.”

Corrie says God used Sadie the morning that she died, to prepare the mother of six for the grief that lay ahead.

Sadie was attached to a blanket from her grandmother, that she slept with every single night. On Saturday morning though, Sadie put the blanket in a bag and told her mom that she no longer needed it, and wanted to give it away.

“Looking back, it’s as if she knew she wouldn’t need it anymore.”

One thing is certain, Sadie Grace brought more joy to this world in her three short years than many of us can fathom in our entire lifetime. She exuded the love of Jesus, and her family takes comfort in knowing that she is Home with Him now.

Praying for peace that surpasses all understanding, and healing for every single person whose life was touched by this beautiful little angel.

 

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METRO

She Didn’t Want to Pay for a Divorce. So She Shot Her Husband in His Sleep and the unexpected took place –

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Melanie Biggins, a 42-year-old woman from Missouri, found herself in a situation that ended in tragedy. She was married to Ettienne L. McEwan for nine years, but their relationship had been struggling. For the last year and a half of their marriage, Melanie had been having an affair. She wanted to leave her husband, but she felt trapped because she didn’t have the money to file for a divorce. Instead of finding another way out, she made a terrible decision that changed everything.

On August 31, 2022, Melanie called 911 in the early hours of the morning. She told the police that an intruder had broken into their home and shot her husband while they were both asleep in bed. When the police arrived, they found Melanie trying to save her husband by performing CPR. She claimed that she had woken up to the sound of a gunshot and saw her husband had been shot under his chin. She said she ran downstairs and saw the front door open but didn’t see anyone…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

At first, the police believed her story, but things didn’t add up. Melanie initially told them that the only gun in the house was her husband’s rifle. However, as the investigation continued, she admitted that she had bought a handgun from a pawn shop. The police also found a pillow and blanket with bullet holes on the floor, and they discovered a .38 Special handgun hidden under a bunk bed in another room. These clues made it clear that Melanie’s story about an intruder wasn’t true. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Eventually, Melanie broke down and confessed. She admitted that she had shot her husband. She explained that she had been unhappy in their marriage and wanted to end it but felt she couldn’t afford a divorce. In a moment of desperation, she made the tragic choice to kill him instead.

Melanie was originally charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, which could have led to a life sentence. However, she made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. Because of this plea deal, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison instead of facing a much harsher punishment.

 

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