Why We Didn’t Do Autopsy On Arotile – NAF

The Nigerian Air Force has admitted that an autopsy was not carried out on the deceased Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile because there was no controversy over what led to her death.

The late Flying Oficer Arotile, the first female helicopter combat pilot died in a freak accident in the Nigerian Air Force base Kaduna last week.

She was buried with full military honours on Thursday.

NAF spokesman Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola appearing on Channels Television on Friday also dismissed contentions about the driver of the vehicle that knocked her down saying that he was aged 24 and not 36 as claimed by Lagos lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN).

Daramola who said that the case file would be handed over to the police on Friday, said, “On the issue of autopsy or otherwise that would have been initiated by the family but based on discussions with them and the fact that witnesses were there at the time she was taken to the Nigerian Air Force hospital in Kaduna, there were no doubts as to the cause of death which was head injury as a result of blunt force trauma caused by the vehicle hitting her from the rear.

“So, in consultation with her family, her father, Akintunde Arotile, said they wanted closure on this matter and that he was comfortable with the Nigerian Air Force’s investigation which of course is also being transferred to the police.

“Autopsy was not done because it wasn’t requested, the cause of death was already known based on the investigation and how she was taken to the hospital and the confirmation was made. There were no doubts in that regard and there was no request from the family for that specifically. No autopsy was done.”

Debunking disputations about the identities of the drivers of the vehicle that brought down Arotile as claimed by Adegboruwa (SAN), he said:

 “First of all, we carried out a preliminary investigation to determine those who were involved, their level of involvement, interviewed witnesses and looked at the scene. That was our own first phase of investigation because it happened on the base.

“The air force has its own air police directorate where we have forensic and K9 investigators many of whom are trained in and out of the country. Some of them also trained in police institutions and there is a lot of collaboration between the Nigerian Air Force Air Police Wing and the Nigeria Police. Immediately it occurred, we involved the police.”