NGF Mourns Air Officer, Tolulope Arotile

The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) mourns the tragic death of Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer, Tolulope Arotile, who died as a result of head injuries she sustained from an accident in the Nigeria Air force Base, Kaduna on Tuesday.

The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, described late Arotile as a brilliant and promising officer.

Fayemi said that despite the short term in service before she was cut short by death, Arotile demonstrated impactful qualities.

He said the deceased had a high sense of loyalty, patriotism, commitment to serving the country, and maintaining peace and security in the State.

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The statement said, “The NGF regrets that Arotile‘s life was cut in its prime and at a time she had so much to contribute to the upliftment of her country.

“Her demise is not only the family’s loss but that of the Nigeria Air Force, the government and people of Kogi State and the entire country.”

Fayemi prayed for her young soul to rest in peace, and that God would give her family and loved ones the strength to bear the loss.

The late Air Force Officer Tolulope Arotile was announced the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in September 2017.

In a statement shared by the Nigeria Air Force, Ekohotblog gathered that Tolulope died from injuries sustained in a road accident on Tuesday at the Nigeria Air Force Base in Kaduna state.

The statement said: ”It is with great sorrow that the @NigAirForce regretfully announces the unfortunate demise of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who died on 14 July 2020,

“Until her death, ‪Flying Officer Arotile, who was commissioned into the NAF in September 2017 as a member of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 64, was the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Service.‬

“During her short but impactful stay in the service, late Arotile contributed significantly to the efforts to rid the north-central states of armed bandits and other criminal elements by flying several combat missions under Operation Gama Aiki in Minna, Niger State,” the statement added.