Nigeria’s first-ever female combat helicopter pilot, Tolulope Arotile is dead. She died Tuesday as a result of head injuries sustained from a road traffic accident at Nigeria’s Air Force Base in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Arotile’s untimely demise comes barely a year after she made history as the first combat helicopter pilot in the Air Force’s 55-year-old history following the completion of her training in South Africa. A statement by Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force said: “The Nigerian Air Force has lost the only female helicopter combat pilot. “It is a privilege for me to be winged as the first female fighter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force,” Sanni would say after being decorated.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 15, 2020 12:11 UTC