Henry Uche
As Nigerians mourns the unfortunate death of Tolulope Arotile, Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, who according to the official statement released by the Air Force, died after a road accident in Kaduna State, a Joint National Action Civil Society Coalition has called on the federal government to wade into forensic investigation into the sad incident.
In a statement signed by;
Global Rights, Nigeria, SBM Intelligence, International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre, Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre, House of Justice among others, the Head of Global Rights, Nigeria, Abiodun Baiyewu, revealed that such incident should not be treated with kids gloves but must be properly looked into by relevant authorities.
The Executive Director, Global Rights, Nigeria, added that given the strategic importance the deceased’s position to national security, and the various versions of how her death occurred that have emerged in the public domain, they call on the Federal Government, the Nigerian Armed Forces, and the Nigerian Police, to undertake a thorough investigation, including commissioning a coroner’s inquest into her death.
“From all reports, the late Flying Officer Arotile, had been immensely instrumental in Nigeria’s fight against insecurity, particularly in the Northwest and Northcentral regions, where she was a squadron pilot. It has also been reported that the unfortunate accident which led to her death occurred upon her return from an anti-banditry combat operation in the troubled areas of Katsina state.
“Considering her crucial role in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria, it must be taken into consideration that the Flying Officer may have been a target of criminal elements for reasons best known to them. It must also be recalled that since Nigeria launched its war on terrorism, law enforcement officers have inadvertently become the counterstrike targets of organized criminal groups.
“Whilst reports from the Nigerian Armed Forces have alleged that the circumstances surrounding her death were purely accidental, it is important for all doubts to be cleared through an exhaustive inquest as to the cause of her death” she maintained.
She noted that the Joint National Action Civil Society Coalition respects and acknowledges the sacrifices of the Nigerian military and officers of law enforcement agencies who battle at the frontline against insecurity in our country, howbeit, urged the Government of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Armed Forces to ensure the security and welfare of all its security assets.
Meanwhile, a political scientist and public Affairs Analyst, Kingsley Okah, said the rate at which citizens mystify every strange killing in our country is becoming unbecoming and must be discouraged forthwith.
Okah ululated that the family of the deceased must not just receive condolence messages as usual from the federal government but the FG must let Nigerians know every detail and circumstances surrounding her death with a way to stop such incidents intoto.
“The flimsy excuse by Nigerian Air Force, NAF, that the Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile Was Mistakenly Killed By Her Ex~Schoolmate looks very superficial, Life is sacred and precious, FG should let Nigerians know what we need to know”.
He called on Nigerians to maintain their equanimities while the FG unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the patriotic and dedicate officer.
“This is sad indeed, we commiserate with the family, but all relevant bodies in Nigeria should dive into this incident and tell Nigerians what we need to know and do justice about it, Nigerians cannot afford to lose such responsibile citizen carelessly” he asseverated.
