According to Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, director of public relations and information for Nigerian Air Force, the investigation report reads;
On 14 July 2020, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and indeed
the entire Nation, was thrown into mourning as a result of the death of one of
our shining young stars in the person of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, the
NAF’s first female combat helicopter pilot. Her unfortunate demise has elicited
an overwhelming outpouring of condolences, prayers and support to the NAF as
well as the Arotile Family.
This has no doubt been so, not just
for Tolulope’s outstanding accomplishments at the tender age of 24, but also
because of her sterling personal qualities of excellence, hard work, dedication
to duty, confidence and courage, which endeared her to her superiors,
subordinates and peers in the Service.
Unfortunately, because of the
peculiar circumstances of the incident that led to her death, a rash of
falsehoods, innuendos, conspiracy theories and the likes have been propagated
in the public space, especially on Social Media. The NAF sincerely hopes that
the findings of the just-concluded preliminary investigation into this unfortunate
and painful incident will address the misinformed issues raised in the Social
Media on the tragedy.
Moreover,
while it would have been ideal for the entire investigation to be concluded
before details on the incident are released, 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. Please note
that the details being revealed today have already been communicated to the
Arotile Family, who ideally should be allowed to mourn their daughter and
sister in peace, but for the unfortunate nature of the sad occurrence.
In line with the normal procedure in
the Nigerian Air Force during such occurrences, an investigation was
immediately instituted to formally determine the circumstances of the incident.
Accordingly, the preliminary
investigation has revealed the following details: A. The Late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, a Squadron Pilot at
the 405 Helicopter Combat Training Group (405 HCTG) Enugu, attached to the Air
Component of Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, having recently completed her
Promotion Examinations, was in Kaduna awaiting deployment for her next
assignment. During this period, she stayed with her sister, Mrs Damilola Adegboye,
at Sabo Area in Kaduna, visiting the NAF Base whenever necessary. b. On 14 July
2020 at about 10.55am, Late Flying Officer Arotile received a phone call from
her colleague, Flying Officer Perry Karimo, a fellow helicopter pilot from the
405 HCTG, who wanted to discuss arrangements for their return to Enugu,
requesting that she comes to the Base so that they could work out the
modalities. Subsequently, at about 10.58am, the Late Arotile placed a call
through to Squadron Leader Diepiriye Batubo, the Group Operations Officer (GOO)
of 405 HCTG, who was in Minna at the time, to clarify issues regarding her
deployment. It must be highlighted that the call FROM Flying Officer Karimo as
well as the one TO the Squadron Leader Batubo both took place before 11.00am,
over 5 hours before the incident which led to her death.
Flying Officer Arotile was later
conveyed from Sabo to the NAF Base Kaduna by her sister, Mrs Adegboye, where
the Deceased dropped her phone for charging at a house in the Instructor
Pilots’ Quarters belonging to Squadron Leader Alfa Ekele. Her elder sister
later dropped her off at the Base Mammy Market at about 4.00pm, where she
proceeded to photocopy and laminate some documents. It was while she was
returning from the Mammy Market at about 4.30pm that three of her former schoolmates at the Air Force Secondary School (now
Air Force Comprehensive School) Kaduna; Mr Nehemiah Adejoh, Mr Igbekele
Folorunsho and Mr Festus Gbayegun, drove past her in a Kia Sorento SUV, with
Registration Number AZ 478 MKA. It is noteworthy that Messrs Adejoh, Folorunsho
and Gbayegun are all civilians who live outside NAF Base Kaduna, but were on
their way to visit one Mrs Chioma Ugwu, wife of Squadron Leader Chukwuemeka
Ugwu, who lives at Ekagbo Quarters on the Base.
Upon recognising their schoolmate,
Arotile, after passing her, Mr Adejoh, who was driving, reversed the vehicle,
ostensibly in an attempt to quickly meet up with the Deceased, who was walking
in the opposite direction. In the process, the vehicle struck Flying Officer
Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her
to hit her head on the pavement. The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as
it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her
further injuries. e. Flying Officer Arotile was subsequently rushed to the 461
NAF Hospital Kaduna for treatment, while Mr Folorunsho (one of the occupants of
the vehicle) who is also an Accident & Emergency Nurse at the St Gerard
Catholic Hospital Kaduna, administered First Aid. f. Flying Officer Arotile was
confirmed dead by the On-Call Doctor at the 461 NAF Hospital at about 4.45pm on
14 July 2020, as a result of the head injuries. g. The trio of Messrs Nehemiah
Adejoh, Igbekele Folorunsho and Festus Gbayegun were immediately detained at
the Air Provost Wing, 453 Base Services Group Kaduna as investigations began.
They were subjected to Toxicology Tests at the 461 NAF Hospital but no traces
of alcohol or psychotropic substances were found in their systems. It was
however discovered that the driver of the vehicle, Mr Nehemiah Adejo, did not have
a valid driver’s license. Traffic
Officers from the Kawo Police Station and the Kaduna State Police Command as
well as Road Traffic experts from the Federal Road Safety Corp were also called
in to provide support during the investigation.
Having carefully considered the
foregoing, the preliminary investigation concluded that: a. 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. b. Being a civil case, the
matter will be handed over to the Nigeria Police with a view to further
investigating and charging the suspects to court in accordance with extant
laws. 5. The Nigerian Air Force, being a highly professional and disciplined
organization, 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.
Furthermore,
it is extremely sad and disheartening that, rather than allow the Arotile
Family and the Nigerian Air Force to grieve for our dearly departed Tolulope in
peace, many have chosen to politicize her death, while others are using the
incident to push meritless, misguided ethnic and religious agendas. The
Nigerian Air Force wishes to implore everyone to respect the sensibilities of
all those who have suffered most by this loss, those who really knew Tolulope –
her family, her friends and her Nigerian Air Force colleagues. It is of
absolute importance that the memory of this Fallen Hero and our precious child
is not tainted by the propagation of misplaced sentiments and wild shenanigans.
Before I end this august address, may I respectfully, on behalf of the Chief of
the Air Staff, the entire personnel of the NAF as well as members of the
Arotile Family, express my profound appreciation to all those who in one way or
the other have shown concern, support and sympathy over this unfortunate
incident.
