Remembering June 12: FUTA Students Wrongly Accused of Plane Hijacking in 1993 – Insights from Attoye, Aborisade

A former Registrar of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Pa William Attoye, has recounted how four students from the institution were falsely accused of hijacking a Nigeria Airways aircraft during the struggle to validate the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Attoye cleared the students of any wrongdoing, stating that they were wrongfully accused by the military government and detained for the alleged offense 31 years ago.

The implicated students included Tunde Adeagbo, Tunde Ibikunle, Tunji ‘Light’ Ariyomo, and Niran Kweminu.

Attoye explained that the individuals primarily accused of the plane hijacking plot—Richard Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi, and Kenny Rasaq-Lawal—were actually members of the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy (MAD) and were not students of FUTA.

He noted that the various anti-military activities, including peaceful student congresses addressed by Adeagbo and pro-democracy information dissemination led by Ariyomo, put the military’s focus on these students. Consequently, the four students were arrested and detained in a camp in Oke-Eda, Akure, the state capital.

Attoye emphasized that the accused FUTA students had solid alibis that restricted their whereabouts to within the old Ondo State, including present-day Ekiti State, during the time of the alleged hijacking.

He described how he visited the students at the Oke-Eda detention center to deliver messages from the FUTA management, led by the late Professor Albert Ilemobade, the Vice-Chancellor at the time, and Mr. B. A. Adebayo, the then Registrar.

Adding to the account, Professor Bayo Aborisade, a retired Professor of English and Communication Studies from FUTA, spoke on the mobilization of students for the pro-democracy cause and expressed regret that the students were framed by the military due to their anti-military stance.

Aborisade confirmed that the four detained students were indeed legitimate students of FUTA and recounted his efforts to provide legal support to ensure none of them were abandoned during the struggle.

He agreed with Pa Attoye that none of those arrested in Niamey were FUTA students.

Aborisade, who was a prominent leader against military rule and has continued to mentor many students, was credited with inspiring them to courageously stand up for what is right for the country’s overall interest.