The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has released the preliminary result of the investigation conducted to unravel the cause of the death of Tolulope Arotile, Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the NAF made the revelation at a press briefing on Sunday, following requests for a detailed investigation into the cause of Arotile’s death that shocked the country.
According to NAF, preliminary investigation revealed that Arotile died as a result of blunt force trauma and too much bleeding after she was hit by her secondary school classmate.
NAF revealed the name of the ex-classmate as Nehemiah Adejoh and said since the matter is a civil case, it would be handed over to the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), and that the suspect would be charged to court accordingly.
According to NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Ibikunle Daramola, two other persons were with Adejoh, who drove the vehicle that hit Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot.
“Mr Nehemiah Adejoh, Mr Igbekele Folorunsho and Mr Festus Gbayegun, drove past her in a Kia Sorento SUV, with registration number AZ 478 MKA.
“It is noteworthy that Messrs Adejoh, Folorunsho and Gbayegun are all civilians who live outside NAF Base Kaduna, but were on their way to visit one Mrs Chioma Ugwu, wife of Squadron Leader Chukwuemeka Ugwu, who lives at Ekagbo Quarters on the Base.
“Upon recognizing their schoolmate, Arotile, after passing her, Mr Adejoh, who was driving, reversed the vehicle, ostensibly in an attempt to quickly meet up with the deceased, who was walking in the opposite direction.
“In the process, the vehicle struck Flying Officer Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her to hit her head on the pavement.
“The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her further injuries,” Daramola said.
Flying Officer Arotile joined the Nigerian Air Force out of passion for the job, and in her words, “I joined the military simply out of passion for it. Being a military personnel has been a long time ambition, the carriage and what it stands for are simply exceptional”.
Before her untimely death, Arotile made significant and outstanding contributions to the war against terrorism, armed banditry and other forms of criminality in the country, undertaking several combat missions.
Born on 13 December 1995 to the family of Mr and Mrs Akintunde Arotile in Kaduna, Arotile hails from Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
She attended Air Force Primary School, Kaduna from 2000 – 2005 and Air Force Secondary School, Kaduna from 2006 – 2011 before she later gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna as a member of 64 Regular Course on 22 September 2012.
Flying Officer Arotile was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force as a Pilot Officer on 16 September 2017 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Flying Officer Arotile was winged as the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force on 15 October 2019, after completing her flying training in South Africa.
She holds a commercial pilots’ license and also underwent tactical flying training on the Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopter in Italy.
Incidentally, she introduced the newly acquired Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopter to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, during the induction ceremony at the Eagle Square in Abuja on 6 February 2020.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, had on behalf of officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the Service, condoled with the family of the late Flying Officer over the irreparable loss.
The remains of the late Flying Officer would be laid to rest with full military honours at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja on 23 July 2020.