Igbokoda Air Force Crash: From Classroom To Final Flight

by IDAHOSA MUSA

… Flags fly at half-mast as UNIBEN classmates mourn officer

The tragic loss of Nigerian Air Force personnel in the ill-fated aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State, has continued to reverberate across the country, with the pilot, Squadron Leader Mamud I. Aburimen, revealed to have been pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) until his death.

Aburimen, a postgraduate student of the Department of Mass Communication, was said to have attended the university last Friday for a make-up test, just days before the aircraft crashed while reportedly on its way from Benin to Lagos.

His death has plunged his classmates and lecturers into mourning, with his class representative, Desmond Odiah, describing him as a disciplined and unassuming officer who remained committed to his education despite the demanding nature of his military duties.

Odiah said Aburimen and some of his classmates had earlier completed their postgraduate diploma together before proceeding to the master’s programme, adding that the deceased regularly communicated with him on academic matters after he became class representative.

According to him, Aburimen’s commitment to his studies was remarkable, considering his responsibilities in the Air Force, as he consistently made efforts to attend lectures whenever his schedule permitted.

“He was a perfect gentleman who did not want issues or problems. Every time he was in class, he was always at the back with his cap on.

“Regardless of his tedious work and responsibilities, he tried as much as possible to attend classes,” Odiah said.

The class representative recalled that his last contact with Aburimen was over the make-up test, saying the officer had informed him that he was already at the university for the examination.

But while Aburimen’s classmates mourned the sudden termination of his academic journey, another heartbreaking account emerged of Flight Lieutenant M. Akintoye, whose final encounter with his mother reportedly occurred on her birthday, hours before the fatal crash.

Akintoye was said to have visited his mother, Professor Emily Akintoye, a staff member of Benson Idahosa University, Benin, after the Air Force personnel stopped over in the city, and informed her that they were proceeding to Lagos.

A family source said Akintoye had rushed home in an Air Force vehicle to celebrate his mother’s birthday and bid her farewell, unaware that it would be their last encounter.

“On Tuesday, being the birthday of his mother, he rushed to the house to wish her a happy birthday and inform her that they were on their way to Lagos. A few hours after, the news of the disaster came,” the source said.

The source said the tragedy had devastated the family and senior military officers, particularly because the birthday that should ordinarily have been marked with celebration had become permanently associated with the death of her son.

The source added that the co-pilot, Flight Lieutenant I. S. Bako, had also reportedly married only a few weeks before the crash, compounding the grief among his family, colleagues and friends.

Meanwhile, flags were reportedly flown at half-mast at the Air Force military base and Air Force Military Hospital in mourning for the personnel who lost their lives in the crash.

For the Nigerian Air Force and the wider Nigerian public, the tragedy has consequently become more than the loss of military personnel, but a painful reminder of the human beings behind the uniform, officers building families, pursuing higher education and returning home to celebrate birthdays, whose lives were abruptly cut short in the service of the nation.