Driver of the vehicle which knocked down Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile on July 14 is a civilian who had no valid driving papers, military sources have claimed.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) had said that Arotile, Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, died on Tuesday at the NAF base in Kaduna State from head injuries after being hit by the car of a former classmate who was reversing to exchange pleasantries with her.
On Saturday, some military sources who did not want to be named said the civilian driver, accompanied by his friends, visited his relations at the Air Force base located in Mando area of Kaduna metropolis on the day of the incident, Channels Television reported.
It added that upon interrogation, the driver and former classmate, who is now in custody with another occupant of the vehicle, has no valid driver’s licence.
A member of the Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 64, the late Arotile hailed from Iffe in the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, and contributed to the efforts to rid the north-central states of bandits and other criminal elements by flying combat missions.
She will be buried on July 23 at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja with full military honours.
