Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has said the remains of Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, Tolulope Arotile, ought not to be buried until the conclusion of investigations in the circumstances surrounding her death.
Arotile was knocked down last week by a vehicle in reverse motion driven by her former classmate, Nehemiah Adejoh.
The Nigerian Air Force had announced that the 24-year-old would be buried on July 23.
But Adegboruwa advised against the burial, in a statement on Sunday, titled, ‘Nigerians Deserve Proper Investigation into the Death of Arotile before Burial’.
The lawyer said given “the inconsistent stories emerging from the Nigerian Air Force” on the cause of Arotile’s death, there was a need for a coroner’s inquest.
Adegboruwa said, “The least we expect is a proper investigation, followed with a coroner’s inquest, including an independent autopsy report.
“There is no point in rushing to bury her in the light emerging revelations.”
The SAN highlighted 10 questions that must be answered concerning death.
He said, “Who drove the car? Where did the accident happen? Where was Arotile going to? A reversing car means it had passed her, so was she trekking? Was she blindfolded not to see the reversing car to escape? Were her legs tied? What kind of medical treatment did she receive? In which hospital was she treated? Who called her out from her rest after successful air combat on bandits? Why are there inconsistent statements from the Nigerian Air Force, being released in bits and pieces?”
He urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari “to direct a full investigation into her death, to suspend the burial plans until the conclusion of the investigations.”
