Gbenro Adesina
Amidst tight security, tears and in full military honours, Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who died on Tuesday July 14, 2020, at the age of 23 was buried at the National Military Cemetery located at the Airport Road, Abuja.
Her remains was brought to the Cemetery at exactly 8.38 am.
The deceased was buried in the presence of notable Nigerians, siblings, family and friends.
In attendance were: Governor Yayaha Bello of Kogi State and his wife, Rasheedat Bello; Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen; Chairmen of Senate and House Committees on Air Force, Senator Bala Ibn Na’alla and Hon Shehu Koku; service chiefs led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar and other prominent personalities.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor Bello described Arotile’s death as painful and loss not only to Nigeria, but to the entire Africa.
Also, Air Marshal Abubakah, who eulogised Arotile noted that though, her stay in the Airforce was short, her contributions were remarkable, stressing that the deceased would never be forgotten in the Nigerian Army.
Noted that she joined the NAF in 2017, he pointed out that within the short time she spent in the Airforce, she was able to get awards.
Born on 13 December 1995 to the family of Mr and Mrs Akintunde Arotile in Kaduna, Flying Officer Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah 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.
Flying Officer Arotile died on 14 July 2020, when she was hit by a vehicle. Before her untimely death, she made significant and outstanding contributions to the war against terrorism, armed banditry and other forms of criminality in the Country, undertaking several combat missions.
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