Tolulope Arotile

Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile (13 December 1995 – 14 July 2020) was the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force.[1]

Lieutenant Tolulope Arotile
Tolulope Arotile
Birth name	Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile
Born	13 December 1995 Kaduna State, Nigeria
Died	14 July 2020 (aged 24) Nigerian Airforce Base, Kaduna State
Allegiance	Nigeria
Service/branch	Nigerian Air Force
Rank	Flying Officer
Alma mater	Nigerian Defence Academy
Buried	Military Cemetery, Airport Road, Abuja, Nigeria

She contributed significantly to combat operations against insecurity in the northern states of Nigeria. Arotile died from a head injury sustained in an accident at the Nigerian Air Force base in Kaduna state on 14 July 2020.[2]

Life

Born on 13 December 1995 to Akintunde Arotile (from Iffe in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State)[3] and his wife in Kaduna State, Arotile attended the Air Force Primary School, Kaduna, from 2000 to 2005 and the Air Force Secondary School, Kaduna, from 2005 to 2011, before she gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, as a member of 64 Regular Course on 22 September 2012. Arotile was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force as a pilot officer on 16 September 2017 and held a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy. She was winged as the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force on 15 October 2019[4] (together with the first female fighter pilot, Kafayat Sank) after completing her flying training in South Africa. Two years into her career, Arotile had acquired 460 hours of helicopter flight, which was an outstanding performance for a combat pilot.[5] She saw action against the Boko Haram terrorists, and President Muhammadu Buhari paid tribute to her skill and bravery.[6] In the fight against ISIS, she was called effective, deadly and "fearless".[7]

Arotile held a commercial pilot licence and also underwent tactical flying training on the Agusta 109 Power attack helicopter in Italy.[8]

Death

According to Nigerian Air Force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola, Arotile died on 14 July 2020 as a result of head injuries sustained in a road traffic accident at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna State, when she was inadvertently hit by the vehicle of a former Air Force Secondary School classmate who was trying to greet her.[9] The way the accident occurred prompted a call for investigation from Nigerians.[10] Others called it "suspicious".[7]

She was buried on 23 July 2020 at the Military Cemetery, Airport Road, Abuja.[11] The Nigerian Air Force revealed that no autopsy was carried out on her before she was buried, because the circumstances surrounding her death were clear, and there were witnesses who were present during the accident. The force said that her family wanted to move on quickly and did not demand an autopsy, noting that the family were comfortable with the force's investigation.[12] The investigation was later transferred to the Nigeria Police Force on 24 July 2020.[13]

References

1. Bukola Adebayo. "Nigeria's first female combat helicopter pilot killed in a freak car accident". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-17.; Olaleye, Aluko. "NAF wings first female fighter pilots". The Punch. Retrieved 16 July 2020.; Abdur Rahman, Alfa Shaban. "Nigeria mourns first ever female helicopter combat pilot: Tolulope Arotile". Africa News. Retrieved 16 July 2020.; Annette, Arotiba. "Tolulope Arotile biography and di rise of Nigerian Airforce first female combat helicopter pilot". BBC Pidgin. Retrieved 16 July 2020.; Sodiq, Oyeleke. "Nigeria's first female combat helicopter pilot dies". The Punch. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
2. "Air force's first female combatant helicopter pilot dies in freak accident". TheCable. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2020-07-16.; editor (2020-07-16). "Flying Officer Arotile: Escaped Bullets from Bandits, Died in Freak Road Accident". THISDAYLIVE. Retrieved 2020-07-17.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
3. Ijeoma Thomas-Odia (July 18, 2020). "Tolulope Arotile… Salute to super woman who broke glass ceiling". The Guardian Newspaper. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
4. Omonobi, Kingsley (2019-10-15). "1NAF wings two female pilots, Air Warrant officer". Vanguard Nigeria. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
5. Lawal, Khadijat Kuburat (2020-07-15). "10 things you don't know about late Tolulope Arotile". Daily Trust. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
6. "Buhari gutted by death of Flying officer Tolulope Arotile". P.M. News. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-17.; "She was our shining star – Air Force boss mourns Tolulope Arotile". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
7. Obaji, Philip, Jr. (July 26, 2020). "World: She Flew Missions Against ISIS-Backed Terrorists—and Died in a Suspicious 'Accident'". The Daily Beast – via Yahoo!.
8. AbdulGafar, Alabelewe. "How Nigeria's first female combat helicopter Pilot died – NAF". The Nation. Retrieved 16 July 2020.; Lawal, Khadijat (15 July 2020). "10 things you don't know about late Tolulope Arotile". Daily Trust Newspaper. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
9. Akinpelu, Yusuf (July 16, 2020). "OBITUARY: Tolulope Arotile: Nigeria's first female combat helicopter pilot dies in accident". Premium Times.; Kingsley, Omonobi. "How NAF's first female combat helicopter pilot died in accident". The Vanguard. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
10. "Don't bury Arotile until after investigation – Adegboruwa". The Punch. July 19, 2020.
11. Adepegba, Adelani (23 July 2020). "UPDATED: Tears as Arotile laid to rest in Abuja". The Punch Newspaper. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
12. Akinkuotu, Eniola (24 July 2020). "Why there was no autopsy on Arotile – Nigerian Air Force". The Punch Newspaper. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
13. Adepegba, Adelani (24 July 2020). "Arotile: NAF transfers case, suspects to police today". The Punch Newspaper. Retrieved 25 July 2020.; Adepegba, Adelani (24 July 2020). "[PHOTOS] Arotile: NAF transfers case, vehicle, suspects to police". The Punch Newspaper. Retrieved 25 July 2020.