Fresh facts emerged on Wednesday on the sudden demise of Nigeria’s first female combat pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who died at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna State on Tuesday.
First News gathered that Arotile, 23, was mistakenly hit by a car driven by her former classmate, who had wanted to exchange greetings with her.
Arotile’s ex-classmate, who was driving past, was said to have engaged the car in reverse gear immediately he saw her, just to greet her.
But the ex-classmate was said to have lost control, hitting and knocking her down.
The impact of the accident resulted in Arotile hitting her head on the tarmac and passing out.
The young combat pilot later died at the hospital she was rushed to for treatment.
Nigerian Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Com. Ibikunle Daramola, confirmed this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
Daramola stated, “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 Air Force Secondary School classmate 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.”
The NAF spokesman added that young Arotile joined the Air Force out of passion for the military profession.
“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 Eagle Square in Abuja on February 6, 2020,” the statement added.
Arotile was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force as a Pilot Officer on September 16, 2017. She held a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Arotile was winged as the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force on October 15, 2019, after completing her training in South Africa.
She held a commercial pilot licence and also underwent tactical flying training on the Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopter in Italy.