The Nigerian Air Force has revealed the identity of the driver who allegedly hit and killed the late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Ibikunle Daramola, disclosed this in Abuja on Sunday at the end of a briefing.
Daramola said the name of the suspect, who is Arotile’s ex-classmate, is Mr Nehemiah Adejoh.
He said the details of the circumstances surrounding the death of the 24-year-old first female combat helicopter pilot as been communicated to her family, adding that the case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force, being a civil case, with view to charging suspects to court.
The spokesman said preliminary investigation revealed that the late Arotile met three of her former schoolmates at the Air Force Secondary School, now Air Force Comprehensive School, Kaduna, on the day of the incident.
He said, “Mr Nehemiah Adejoh, Mr Igbekele Folorunsho and Mr Festus Gbayegun, drove past her in a Kia Sorento SUV with Registration Number AZ 478 MKA. It is noteworthy that Messrs Adejoh, Folorunsho and Gbayegun are all civilians who live outside NAF Base Kaduna, but were on their way to visit one Mrs Chioma Ugwu, wife of Squadron Leader Chukwuemeka Ugwu, who lives at Ekagbo Quarters on the Base.
“Upon recognising their schoolmate, Arotile, after passing her, Mr Adejoh, who was driving, reversed the vehicle, ostensibly in an attempt to quickly meet up with the deceased, who was walking in the opposite direction. In the process, the vehicle struck Flying Officer Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her to hit her head on the pavement. The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her further injuries.”