By Kolawole Ojebisi
Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Airforce has died.
The tragic incident occurred in Kaduna yesterday after she sustained head injuries from a road accident. Arotile was just 23
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The announcement of her death was contained in a statement signed by Air Force spokesman, Ibikunle Daramola, on Wednesday.
“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,” the statement read.
“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 hailed 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.
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“The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on behalf officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, commiserates with the family of late Flying Officer Arotile over this irreparable loss. We pray that the Almighty God grants her soul eternal rest.”
Arotile was commissioned along with 12 others, including Kafayat Sanni, the country’s first female fighter pilot in October 2019, meaning she died eight months after being commissioned.
Her death has been described as a major setback for the fight against insurgency and banditry in the country.
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