…Say Accident Story Smells like Tale for the Marines

The family of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, the late first Nigerian female helicopter combat pilot, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, and the Apapo O’odua Koya, (AOKOYA) have rejected the accident theory of the Nigerian Air Force as the cause of the death, calling for a corona inquest.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) claimed that Arotile died at the age of 24 in an accident within the NAF Base in Kaduna.

In a detailed release by the NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the late young combat officer was killed by a reversing car.

“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,” Daramola’s statement read in part.

According to him, “Flying Officer Arotile made significant and outstanding contributions to the war against terrorism, armed banditry and other forms of criminality in Nigeria, flying several combat missions.”

Doubts over Accident Theory

But Tolulope’s older sister, Mrs Damilola Adegboye, told journalists on Thursday that the family was devastated by her untimely death and had been wondering how a reversing car could have killed her.

“We are not convinced that Tolu can die like that in a freak accident. I know that the military is well trained in the art of investigation; we want them to carry out a thorough investigation that can convince us beyond all doubts that the incident that led to her death was the truth,” she added.

She said the day the late combat pilot died, she was in the room where she was sleeping.

Adegboye said, “A call came into her mobile phone; from the way she spoke, I knew that the caller must be a senior officer telling her to come to the Air Force Base. She was reluctant and I offered to drop her off.

“One hour later, I saw it online that something serious had happened to her. I couldn’t believe that somebody I just dropped off is dead.”

Also, Afenifere on Thursday demanded a coroner inquest into Tolulope’s death.

The organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin, in a statement titled, ‘Afenifere wants coroner inquest into Tolulope Arotile’s death,’ said, with the death of the flying officer, “Nigeria the demented chicken sucked one of its finest eggs yet again.”

He said, “It was only eyewitness accounts that unofficially released that it was a colleague of hers who reversed his car to knock her down on the road.

Demand a Coroner Inquest

“Unofficial accounts say she just returned from a combat operation before she was knocked down to death. We therefore do not accept that her death was an accident until the report of a coroner says how she died and how a supposed attempt to stop and greet could come with a death impact.

“We say this against what is known of the infiltration of the forces by sympathisers and agents of Boko Haram. We recall the report years back of such agents revealing the routes and timing of movements of our troops to Boko Haram who ambushed them.”

Echoing a similar view, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Mr Gani Adams, urged the Federal Government to properly investigate the gruesome murder of Nigeria’s first female combat Helicopter Pilot, Totulope Arotile, saying the death was suspicious.

Adams, in a statement on Thursday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Kehinde Aderemi, described the late Arotile’s death as a personal loss, especially, to the Yoruba.

While condoling with the family of the deceased, Adams also urged the International Community, the United Nations, European Union, United States and Britain to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of “the young and promising girl”.

“Nigeria has lost one of its best brains in the military in such a suspicious circumstances. The late Tolulope Arotile’s short span in life was remarkable with a track record of being the first female combat helicopter pilot. The best we can do as a nation is to get to the root of the circumstances culminating in her death”

“As far as I am concerned, reports of her death still remained suspicious to me because her death has raised many questions”

Death Raises Many Questions

“How would such a promising, young girl be killed by a reversing car within the premises of the barrack? Who drove the car? What was his or her name? Where is the suspected killer at the moment? And what is the present situation? We will like to know, and that is why I am charging the International Community to investigate and look into the circumstances surrounding her death”

Adams, however, said “the death of such a promising, young girl has exposed the nation as a country that never values the lives of its citizens, especially, the best and exceptional citizens”

“I take an exception to believe the story surrounding her gruesome murder. Her achievements speak volumes and many in the system may see her rising profile as a threat to the establishment, mostly with her passion towards ending the threats of the dreaded Boko Haram and bandits terrorising the North-west and the rest of the country”

Feeling Family’s Anguish

“I feel the pain of a father whose daughter’s shining light went dim unexpectedly. The sadness of losing a promising girl like Totulope was eternal to her family, because of her talents and dedication to duty, so it should not go the usual way, where our best brains died without any investigation being carried out”

“Tolu’s father said he spoke with his daughter, by 1pm and by 5pm, a few hours later, she was reportedly killed by a reversing car and was in the mortuary. That story needs to be investigated because her case is one out of the many deaths of great Nigerians that made positive impacts toward making Nigeria great, and that is one of the reasons people of excellent and exceptional brains find it difficult to serve the country and they are all over the world doing great”

“I have travelled across the world and I see many Nigerians doing wonderfully well in their respective disciplines, but they always feel reluctant to come back home, because of the way we treat our best brains, I think this is too bad for the development of our nation. More so, I share in the grief of the family as I pray God to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss”, he said.

Group Suspects Murder

Also the Apapo O’odua Koya, (AOKOYA) in a statement on Tuesday asked the International community to investigate her death. The group said the least it expects is an independent enquiry.

“We have very strong reasons to assume that Tolulope Arotile was murdered. We are aware she had altercations with top military commanders before her death and some hated her to a tilt for her brilliance and exploits against Boko Haram and bandits,” AOKOYA said in the statement signed by its officials, Captain Abigo Oritsebugbemi (rtd) and its Middle Belt Coordinator, Mr Akeem Meduna.

AOKOYA said the theory that Arotile died in a motor accident inside the Airforce Base is a cock and bull story and it is doubtful.

“We want full investigation into this suspicious death. We find it difficult to believe the story based on the information at our disposal.

“How can she have died in a traffic accident right inside the Airforce Base in Kaduna?. We have made preliminary findings and all officers who spoke to us could not understand how that could have happened. One officer, her colleague in Kaduna specifically said the case of murder was the strongest motive”, AOKOYA said.

Independent Inquiry

“There must be an independent enquiry for anyone to be convinced Tolulope Arotile was not murdered. The Fulani hegemony hated bright officers of Southern origin. Tolu was exceptional and her brilliance was a threat to the establishment.” AOKOYA said.

Reeling out how life was snuffed out many brilliant Yoruba officers, the group recalled that “a Yoruba Chief of Airforce, Col Shittu Alao was murdered in 1969 by the Fulani oligarchy adding that Dr Ademola Adetokunbo who carried out the autopsy was also murdered by the Federal authorities controlled by the Fulani.

“The Commandant of Nigerian Naval School, Mrs J.O Ogundana was murdered few months ago. Her body was mutilated and packed in a Ghana Must Go. In the same manner, Dr Yomi Oniororo, a 29 year old officer of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, (NIA) was murdered in Abuja, 2002. His body was mutilated. Dare, a senior police officer investigating the murder of Dele Giwa was also assassinated. His senior brother is the popular journalist, Prof Olatunji Dare.

Simulated Accidents

“We are taking records. At the last count, some 413 Yoruba junior and senior Yoruba officers have been murdered by the Fulani oligarchy. Many of them were killed in a ‘neat job’ that looked like an accident

Arotile, who hailed from Iffe in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi died due to alleged head injuries sustained, according to Nigerian Airforce, in road traffic accident at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base Kaduna. Last year, she completed her training in South Africa and was winged as a combat helicopter pilot.

AOKOYA said it has been reliably informed how Arotile led major onsalught against bandits and armed Islamic fundamentalist. Her sorties led to deaths of several militants and bandits. “We have been informed that their agents and supporters in the military marked her and only succeeded in setting a trap for her”, AOKOYA said adding that her last operation was in the North Central States tagged “Operation GAMA AIKI” in Minna, Niger State where despite rockets fired at her, she succeeded in killing many bandits and fundamentalists.

“The Nigerian authorities are shedding crocodile tears on the murder of Arotile. We promise his murderers that the several cases of murder of Yoruba officers in the Army, Navy or Airforce are being compiled and at the right time when Yoruba Nation emerges, the murderers will face the full weight of the law even if it means abducting them the exact thing Israel did after the second world war, to those who killed them in concentration camps,” the group said.