Ms Damilola Adegboye, elder sister of the late first female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) 55-year history, FO Tolulope Arotile, has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Similarly, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere called for a corona’s inquest into the death of the flying officer
Arotile, 24, died on Tuesday, July 14, at the NAF Base in Kaduna less than a year after she was decorated as the first female combatant helicopter pilot.
It was gathered that in the evening of that day, the late FO was on her way back from Mami Market when a civilian classmate of hers at Air Force Secondary School who was excited to see her reversed a car to exchange greetings and in the process knocked her down accidentally.
She died from severe head injury with massive hemorrhage.
The spokesman for NAF, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, confirmed the development in a press statement in Abuja.
“Flying Officer Arotile died on July 14, 2020 at the age of 24, when she was inadvertently hit by the reversing vehicle of an excited former classmate at the Air Force Secondary School while trying to greet her.
“Before her untimely death, Flying Officer Arotile made significant and outstanding contributions to the war against terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality in the country, flying several combat missions,” he said.
However, Adegboye said the family was devastated by the untimely death wondering how the reverse of a vehicle could kill a person in such manner.
“We in the family are not convinced that Tolu can just die like that in a freak accident. I know that the military is well trained in the art of investigation; we want them to carry out a thorough investigation that can convince us beyond all doubts that the incident that led to her death was real,” she said.
She said on the day the FO died, both of them were in the same when Arotile received a phone call.
“A call came into her phone which she picked but from the way they spoke, I knew the caller must be a senior officer calling her to come to Air Force base. She felt reluctant and I offered to drop her off,” she added.
Afenifere, for its part expressed shock over the death saying it was not satisfied with the explanation given by NAF.
In a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Afenifere said it was not satisfied with the explanation given for the cause of her death.
“Nigeria the demented chicken sucked one of its finest eggs yet again with the killing of flying officer Tolulope Arotile on the road in Kaduna on Tuesday.
“A statement by the Nigerian Air Force told some truth that she died but spewed some untruth in saying that: ‘it is with great sorrow that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) regretfully announces the unfortunate demise of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile who died today, 14 July 2020, as a result of head injuries sustained from a road traffic accident at NAF Base Kaduna.’
“It was only eyewitness accounts that unofficially released that it was a colleague of hers who reversed his car to knock her down on the road.
“The statement added that’ ‘Until her death, Flying Officer Arotile, who was commissioned into the NAF in September 2017 as a member of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 64, was the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Service. During her short but impactful stay in the Service, late Arotile, who hails from Iffe in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, contributed significantly to the efforts to rid the North Central States of armed bandits and other criminal elements by flying several combat missions under Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, Niger State.’
“Unofficial accounts say she just returned from a combat operation before she was knocked down to death.
“We, therefore, do not accept that her death was an accident until the report of a coroner says how she died and how a supposed attempt to stop and greet could come with a deadly impact.
“We say this against what is known of the infiltration of the forces by sympathizers and agents of Boko Haram.
“We recall the report years back of such agents revealing the routes and timing of movements of our troops to Boko Haram who ambushed them.
“The inquiry should look into all the links of the colleague who killed her and we must know the identity.
“Meanwhile, we sympathize with the grieving family of Tolulope who has been thrown into deep mourning following the killing of their ft daughter not in combat but within the barrack. May her soul rest in peace,” said Afenifere.
Similarly, the president, Yoruba World Congress (YWC), Prof. Banji Akintoye, expressed sadness over the death, calling for an adequate investigation.
In a statement in Lagos, Akintoye described the death as an irreparable loss and the grief unbearable.
“The YWC calls for thorough and transparent investigation of the accident. This is so that we, who are Tolulope’s people, may have some peace in knowing what really happened, and also that useful lessons can be learnt that can help prevent a recurrence,” he said.
Also, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) described the FO’s death as suspicious and called on the national assembly and the international community to investigate the circumstances surrounding it.
The national coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the national media affairs director, Ms. Zainab Yusuf said in a signed statement that in a normal civilised constitutional democracy, when such a suspicious death occurs, it is incumbent on the government to investigate it.
The organisation that Nigeria “kills her best every day due to political corruption that has become a trademark” of 98 per cent of powerfully-connected politicians.
“The story of how she died as told by the Air Force has made Nigeria look like a banana republic; a place where the sanctity and sacredness of a human person are not respected.
“We are therefore calling on the Nigerian government to set up a medical/forensic/ballistic investigative team to ascertain the actual cause of her death. We also want amnesty international to look into her death,” HURIWA stated.
