Flying Officer and Nigeria’s first female helicopter pilot Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile was hit with a car by an ex-classmate.
Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information said in a statement on Wednesday that;
“Flying Officer Arotile died on July 14, 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,” the spokesman said.
Also President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the passing of Flying Officer, Tolulope Arotile, and condoled with her family on the loss of such a promising officer.
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.
(C) Control TV 2020.