Pa Yemi Ogunderu is the daddy of Richard Ogunderu, one of the crucial youngsters who hijacked a Nigerian Airlines airplane in 1993 in protest towards the annulment of the 1993 presidential broadly believed to were received by way of the overdue MKO Abiola. Ogunderu recounts the incident on this interview with TEMITOPE ADETUNJI
Inform us just a little about your self.
My identify is Yemi Ogunderu. I’m a person residing a tranquility while. I’m a lover of society; I really like assembly society. (I’m) a father and a grandfather.
Your son, Richard, along side 3 alternative juveniles, become a family sensation in 1993 next hijacking a airplane in protest towards the annulment of that while’s presidential election. How used used to be Richard on the hour and used to be he a pupil after?
Richard used to be 19 years used at that hour. He used to be born in August 1974. He’s about 48 years now. As of after, he used to be nursing the ambition of changing into an aeronautic engineer.
Did he ever speak about the plan to hijack a airplane with you?
In reality, as much as this future, it’s nonetheless surprising to me; I had incorrect concept in anyway.
How did you listen in regards to the incident and what used to be your fast response?
It used to be the rudest trauma of my while as a result of Richard used to be by no means a violent kid and I may no longer have anticipated such from a kid like that. He’s an easygoing individual; he’s a lover of fine issues.
That implies you by no means knew he used to be able to this sort of bold factor as hijacking a airplane.
Negative. Like I stated previous, he’s an easy-going being; he doesn’t combat, he loves to decorate advantageous, he is very smart and lavish. However what I will additionally say about him is that he’s strong-willed; he’s an individual of his thoughts. He’s the type of individual that after he holds to a place, you’ll hardly ever form him shift with the exception of you get a hold of a great argument.
What’s Richard’s place amongst your youngsters?
Richard is the second one of my 5 youngsters and he’s the one male. We old to narrate like brothers, the bond of the daddy and son used to be actually stable; I really like him such a lot. I by no means believed he may interact in anything else that he may stock clear of me. Aside from the hijack of a factor, he used to be all the time very unhidden to me.
Did he speak about his occasion ambition or plan with you?
Sure, he mentioned with me that he sought after to be an aeronautic engineer. I did my seek at that hour and I found out that incorrect tertiary establishment in Nigeria introduced that path; so I mentioned with him at the possible choices, akin to becoming a member of the Nigerian Breeze Pressure. I informed him he may importance that as leverage and push ahead from there. I believed after that he may also be educated as a navigator on the Nigerian Breeze Pressure however he became unwell the theory; he stated he didn’t need to have anything else to do with the army.
So, as of the hour of the incident, we had been in truth fascinated about or on the lookout for tips on how to get an admission for him in a overseas establishment.
Do you know his 3 alternative pals previous to the incident?
I by no means actually met any of them with the exception of that I had visible considered one of them, Kabiru Adenuga. I had met him like on one or two events sooner than the incident, however there used to be incorrect interplay in any respect.
Your son and the alternative boys had been upcoming arrested and jailed for 9 years in Niger Republic. How quickly next the incident did you put sights on him?
I got here to understand in regards to the hijack next I, myself, used to be arrested. I heard in regards to the incident within the information however I didn’t know my son used to be concerned. I used to be following the scoop and heard in regards to the drop of the passengers, together with girls, youngsters and non-government officers by way of the hijackers. I used to be following the entirety till that very year once I heard at the radio that the hijackers were known and arrested. It used to be that very night that I used to be picked up.
Who picked you up?
I used to be in truth arrested by way of the Directorate of Army Wisdom, however I didn’t straight away know the identification of those that arrested me. I used to be picked up no longer very some distance from my place of abode at Surulere, off Adelabu Boulevard (Lagos) and detained. I didn’t know the place I used to be taken to till next 18 days. I spent a complete of 70 days in detention. All I knew used to be that the place I used to be being detained used to be alike the sea. I couldn’t see outdoor however I may really feel the affect of the sea waves in the back of the window of the room the place I used to be locked up. It used to be about 18 days upcoming that I found out that I used to be being detained at the premises of Bonny Camp and that I used to be in truth arrested by way of the Directorate of Army Wisdom. I spent about 67 or 68 days at Bonny Camp from the place I used to be moved to Alagbon Near, the place I spent any other two or 3 days sooner than I used to be ultimately discharged.
My best offence used to be that I’m Richard’s father, although I didn’t do anything else flawed. However their investigation upcoming confirmed that I knew not anything in regards to the incident they usually themselves discussed it that they had been satisfied that I knew not anything about it.
Have been you allowed to keep in touch along with your population next you had been arrested?
When I used to be picked up, nobody knew anything else about my arrest straight away however they become mindful upcoming. You will have to consider what the population would have suffered. Week in detention, occasionally they might name out me to stand a panel for interrogation.
At what level did they let you know the cause of your arrest?
I wasn’t straight away informed why I used to be arrested till a lot upcoming. I didn’t see my son till January 1994. I visited Niger Republic, and I used to be the one dad or mum who visited. Alternative folks knew I used to be committing to consult with the fellows, however they didn’t include me. However sooner than I visited the men, one guy, Comrade Shina Odugbemi, had visited them previous.
What sort of dialog did you will have along with your son all through the consult with?
Moving to Benin Republic to look the men used to be like an journey for me as a result of I had by no means been to the Republic of Niger for anything else sooner than. I in truth went there by way of highway as a result of the concern of being picked up on the airport. I went via Sokoto and once I ultimately were given to Niger Republic, the very first thing I did used to be to search for human rights organisations there. This is a French-speaking nation and that introduced me with any other problem, as a result of verbal exchange wasn’t actually painless. However on the finish of the year, I used to be ready to discover a human rights group and met the president of the organisation.
Probably the most lead males within the human proper organisation used to be assigned to accompany me to the playgrounds I used to be intended to consult with in Niger Republic in regards to the case. The person served as an interpreter between me and the Nigerien government; he even took me to the place of job of the Legal professional Normal of Niger Republic. The travel started from there and I used to be ready to consult with Niamey Jail the place the younger males had been stored. The human rights organisation gave me the entire assistance I wanted.
What used to be your assembly with Richard like?
You your self would be capable to consider what my emotions had been straight away I all set my sights on him. Smartly, I used to be so glad to look the entire boys alive, together with Richard. When my son hugged me, you’ll consider how emotional that future can be. I used to be extremely emotional however he informed me to not really feel too wicked, that it used to be truthful for them to pay a worth for what they did.
Did he feel sorry about his motion?
Even up until now, he by no means regretted. His best feel sorry about is that he felt he may have stayed again in Niger Republic, the place he had grow to be a family identify, as a result of he did a bundle of items there – he established a library and a tiny faculty within the jail. He were given awards.
Are you able to recall what the trial chief to their incarceration used to be? Did you eyewitness it?
I’m really not the sort that provides in so simply; regardless of the quantity of force, I accumulation my head up. Proper from the purpose of my drop, I didn’t remains; I used to be making contacts each in Nigeria and outdoor to safeguard that the younger males weren’t mistreated. And I will have to commend the government in Niger Republic; they had been fairly civil with the men. They recognised them no longer as habitual criminals however as prisoners of moral sense they usually accorded them that admire, however, you recognize, jail is jail.
I visited Niger Republic two times. Their trial didn’t occur early. For years, they had been handled like political detainees and the court docket trial, to the most efficient of my wisdom, got here as much as keep away from world complaint over their lengthy detention. So, they only needed to perform the trial to justify conserving them for see you later in jail. The trial got here on the tail finish of the entire saga after they had been about to be discharged. They needed to perform the trial to justify conserving them for see you later. The sentence that used to be handed on them used to be simply few months snip in their drop.
Something I will say is they wouldn’t were discharged if (the overdue Normal Sani) Abacha had been to nonetheless be in authorities on the hour. Abacha noticed them as (the overdue MKO) Abiola’s boys and bringing them to Nigeria would were too bad for them. So, with the aid of a few noteceable personalities and the world population, we had been ready to succeed at the Niger Republic government to not drop the men to the Nigerian authorities; the Nigerian government had been in truth tough their incarceration. So, we thank God that influential voices had been ready to aid; in order that they weren’t discharged to the Nigerian government, in all probability they might were killed.
Are you able to recall your reunion with him next he completed serving his prison time period within the Republic of Niger?
It used to be so superb and it used to be the similar with the households of the alternative younger males however the one feel sorry about they may have now isn’t staying again in Niger Republic as a result of they stated they should have stayed again. Richard used to be already bearing on smartly with them and a few of them even introduced him scholarships. Richard got here to Nigeria as a result of he used to be lacking house. When he were given to Nigeria what he met wasn’t encouraging, the condition of the rustic used to be wicked, and it used to be actually severe.
What has he been as much as next regaining his democracy?
Smartly, he in truth labored with PRONACO, a pan-Nigerian motion initiated beneath the management of the overdue Eminent Anthony Enahoro and Educator Wole Soyinka.
A web-based file has it that he’s these days sick next being attacked in Badagry. What in truth came about to him?
Sure, this is true; his kneecap used to be damaged by way of the attackers – infantrymen. They weren’t in uniform. I feel they misinterpreted his message as a result of that activism perspective remains to be a part of Richard.
Richard’s situation is important presently. The primary surgical operation we did on Victoria Island used to be badly accomplished, making one leg to be longer than the alternative. We’ve been informed to move for a significant surgical operation, which can value about N4.5m.
Richard has additionally suffered despair as a result of the way in which issues became out for him. Scientific mavens have additionally instructed that Richard will have to move for a complete rehabilitation programme. He wishes the help of any person that may be of aid to recover remedy; his kneecap used to be damaged by way of the attackers.
It’s about 29 years next the airplane hijack in defence of independence. Having a look on the tide environment of the crowd, do you suppose what your son and his pals did used to be utility it?
You are going to consider me that what the younger males did at that hour used to be a suicide project. They weren’t armed with guns; what that they had on them had been in truth plastic shotguns. If there were a type of response from the army males on board, they might have died. Who says the Niger Republic government wouldn’t have killed them if that they had their manner?
Smartly, I feel we, as Nigerians, all of us have a solution to the query. We will have to ask ourselves whether it is utility it.