She was our shining star – Air Force boss mourns Tolulope Arotile The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Siddique Abubakar, on Wednesday paid tribute to late Tolulope Arotile, Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, who died in Kaduna on Tuesday in a road traffic accident. Abubakar in a statement described Arotile as a disciplined, intelligent and courageous officer whose loss is irreparable for the force. The CAS submitted that the late 23-year-old officer was a shining star. “I was heartbroken when I received the sad news of the death of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile yesterday in Kaduna,” his tweet read. “Tolulope, who was winged in October 2019, as the first female NAF combat helicopter pilot, was one of our shining young stars,” he added. According to the CAS, Arotile added value where she served as Squadron Pilot in Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, Niger State, adding that she was eager to contribute to t
