In a bizarre twist to the death of 24 years old air combatant, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, AOKOYA, is weaving a conspiracy theory and alleging female combat helicopter pilot, Tolulope Arotile, may have been murdered.
But the group’s position differs fundamentally from her grieving father, Engineer Akintunde Arotile who narrated how he got the news of his daughter’s death four hours after he spoke with her; and appeared impressed with the reaction of Air Force authorities.
His words in an interview with The Punch: “Just yesterday, at about 1pm, I called her because she just came back from an operation against the bandits in Katsina. They gave them one week to rest and so she was sleeping and she told me she was in bed resting. She said she would later go out to make some photocopies and I told her not to stay long and to return home on time because she was staying with my first daughter in Kaduna. Around 5.30 pm, somebody called me and asked if I had called her and I said yes. Then the person told me to call her which I did, but there no response. So, I called her colleagues. They were all crying on the phone. I asked what happened, but they were just crying. I called one of her bosses who told me that she was in the mortuary and I said Ha! Somebody I spoke with four hours ago and by 5 pm she was in the mortuary. I had to drive to Lokoja from Abuja to enable me to inform her mother physically because I could not break such news on the phone. When I got there, she had gone to the prayer mountain. She came back at 8.30pm and I told her what I heard, but had not confirmed.
“I must say that I am really impressed by the outpouring of sympathy and support. There have been several visits from her bosses from all over the country, including here in Lokoja, Abuja, Kaduna, and Enugu. The support has been overwhelming. They have even promised to let us choose where to bury her, but her commandant suggested that she should be buried at the National Cemetery, Abuja because of the number of people that will attend the funeral and due to the feat she achieved as the first female combat pilot in Nigeria.”
The AOKOYA group released a statement just as President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, expressed shock and sadness at the tragic news of her death.
Lawan said despite her brief service, the deceased flying officer, 24, left indelible footprints as a dedicated officer and Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot.
The Senate President noted the attestation of the Nigeria Airforce that Arotile flew several combat missions and made remarkable contributions to the military efforts against banditry and other criminal activities particularly in the North Central states.
Lawan said Arotile was a role model for young women and the Nigerian youths in general with her focus and dedication to service and calling.
Lawan condoled with the family of the late Flying Officer, the Chief of the Air Staff, her officer colleagues, other airmen and airwomen.
The Senate President also commiserated with the government and people of Kogi State over the loss and prayed for her soul to rest in perfect peace.
In a statement, air force spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, gave details of how the pilot died:
“Born on 13 December 1995 to the family of Mr and Mrs Akintunde Arotile in Kaduna, Flying Officer Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile, 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.
Flying Officer Arotile joined the Nigerian Air Force out of passion for the job. In her 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.
But in a statement titled, the Apapo O’odua Koya, (AOKOYA) in a statement by Captain Abigo Oritsebugbemi (rtd) and its Middle Belt Coordinator, Akeem Meduna on Tuesday called for an independent enquiry into her death.
“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 exploit against Boko Haram and bandits ”
“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 traffick 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”.
“There must be an independent enquiry for anyone to be convinced Tolulope Arotile was not murdered. The Fulani hegenomy hated bright officers of Southern origin. Tolu was exceptional and her brilliance was a threat to the establishment.”
AOKOYA listed numerous officers of Yoruba extraction it alleged were murdered said.
“We are taking records. At the last count, some 413 Yoruba junior and senior officers have been murderred by the Fulani oligarchy. Many of them were killed in a ‘neat job’ that looked like an accident….
“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 tagged “Operation GAMA AIKI”in Minna, Niger State where despite rockets fired at her, she succeeded in killing many bandits and fundamentalist.
“The Nigerian authorities are shedding crocodile tears on the murder of Arotile.
“We promise his murderers that the 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 Israeli did after the second world war, to those who killed them in concentration camps.