Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday ruled out foul play in the death of the country’s first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who was knocked down by the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) driven by an old schoolmate at the NAF Base in Kaduna.
She was 24.
Giving details of its preliminary investigation, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said: “The death of Flying Officer Arotile was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and significant bleeding resulting from being struck by the vehicle.”
Daramola said NAF would have waited for the conclusion of the investigation before releasing its details but “the NAF, in sensitivity to public concerns occasioned by the spread of false information, appreciates the imperative to provide more clarity at this very difficult moment”.
He said being a civil case, the matter will be handed over to the police “with a view to further investigating and charging the suspects to court in accordance with extant laws”.
The NAF spokesman said the driver of the vehicle that killed the pilot, Mr. Nehemiah Adejoh, does not have a valid driver’s licence.
He said Adejoh will be charged to court at the end of investigations.
Daramola said: “The Nigerian Air Force, being a highly professional and disciplined organisation, will not join issues with any individuals or groups regarding the spurious allegations of ‘foul play’ espoused in some quarters. Suffice it to say that Flying Officer Arotile was a pride of the NAF in whom the service had invested massively in terms of resources, time and energy.
“Consequently, it is ludicrous for anyone to even remotely insinuate malevolent intent on the part of the service against one of its most prized assets.”

By Okodili Ndidi