Tears, Wailings, Tributes As Arotile Is Laid To Rest With Military Honour

By: Okosun Dennis

It was tears and wailings at the National Cemetery in Abuja on Thursday as the remains of the Nigerian Airforce first female helicopter combat pilot, Tolulope Sarah Arotile, has been buried.

She was given full military honour in the burial that was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Abayomi Olonisakin, the Chief of Air Staff, Vice Marshall Sadique Abubakar, the Governor of her state, Yaya Bello, Ministers of Women Affairs, Paulen Tallen, and Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and the former Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali were in attendance.

Arotile died on the 14th July, 2020 in a road accident after her own secondary school classmate hit her while reversing before running over her in a failed bid to greet her inside the Airforce Base, Kaduna.

The Director of Information, (DOFRI) Nigerian Airforce, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said that the burial was in strict compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.

Arotile was winged about eight months ago after being commissioned into the force in 2017 as passing from out from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

The restricted burial site had in attendance Arotile’s friends, family, and colleagues.

National Honour

Meanwhile, during the Senate plenary on Thursday, a minute of silence in honour of Arotile was observed.

The Red Chamber is also asking the Airforce to erect a monument in her honour.

The Senate’s resolution was in response to a motion moved by Senator Smart Adeyemi, a Kogi State lawmaker.

Airforce spokesperson, Air Commodore Daramola had earlier in the week discountenanced all existing narratives and insinuations that Arotile might have been killed deliberately.

In a press briefing on Sunday, he said that there were no “foul play” in her death but was strictly a mistake based on preliminary Investigation.

Biography

In a summarized biography of the late Flying Officer Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile stated that the late officer was born on 13th December, 1995 to the family of Mr and Mrs Akintunde Arotile in Kaduna and 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 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 pilot 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 Eagle Square in Abuja on 6 February, 2020.

“Flying Officer Arotile died on 14 July 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, armed banditry and other forms of criminality in the country, flying several combat missions adding that Arotile joined the Nigerian Air Force out of passion for the job.

In Arotile’s words “I joined the military simply out of passion for it. Being a military personnel has been a long time ambition, the carriage and what it stands for are simply exceptional”.

“Gone too soon like a candle in the wind, she will be greatly missed by the entire Nigerian Air Force family. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on behalf officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the Service, consoles with the family of late ‪Flying Officer Arotile‬ over this irreparable loss. May her gentle soul continue to Rest In Peace.”