Anthony Iwuoma
Nigeria’s first-ever female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, has died in a tragic motor accident.
The Nigerian Airforce personnel died yesterday due to head injuries she sustained in an accident in Kaduna.
In a statement, the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said Arotile was involved in a road crash that occurred at NAF Base in Kaduna and died soon after as a result of head injuries.
“The Nigerian Airforce has lost the only female helicopter combat pilot in the 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 hails 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.
