The Nigerian Air Force will, on Sunday (today), give details of outcome of its preliminary investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of the country’s first female combat pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile.
Arotile, 24, died on Tuesday as a result of head injuries sustained in a freak auto accident at the NAF base in Kaduna State.
The air force said her former classmate “inadvertently hit her” when the fellow reversed his car while trying to greet her.
NAF said Arotile’s ex-classmate and another occupant of the vehicle had been detained and investigation was ongoing.
The late AirForce officer would be buried Thursday, July 23, at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja, with full military honours.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in a statement on Saturday night, said, “The Nigerian Air Force will tomorrow, 19 July 2020, hold a Press Conference to give details on the outcome of its preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, which occurred on 14 July 2020.
“The event will take place at the Air Marshal MD Umar Blue Room at Headquarters NAF Abuja at 2pm. Accordingly, members of the press are please invited to cover the event.”
Arotile, 24, a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 64, hailed from Iffe in the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, and she flew combat missions to rid the North-Central states of bandits and other criminal elements.
She was a squadron leader in Operation Gama Aiki in Minna, Niger State.