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He was always in the news either arresting one big shot or issuing press statements on how top politicians have stolen billions of naira or have stashed them away in foreign accounts, even when the person was yet to be prosecuted.
Observers described this method as “media trial,” Before his public and shameful arrest by a detachment of the DSS attached to the presidential probe panel headed by retired Justice Ayo Salami. A thourogh analysis of every event that culminated in his 10-day incaceration speaks volumes, after all didn’t the Constitution forbid the detention of a person for more than 48 hours without trial? Why execute his arrest on the road when he had a known office address?
Even if, as the head of EFCC, he had allegedly unjustifiably detained his suspects beyond the mandatory time frame, should the panel be seen to supervise such error in justice? It is known that a man that had supervised the arrest, trial and prosecution of over 3,000 persons cannot be expected to walk freely on the street without being careful of strange stones ferociously thrown at him.
The panel’s activities looked “suspicious” when on the first day Magu was subjected to six uninterrupted hours of interrogation and was escorted straight to a cell in the Force Criminal Invrstigation Department just to label him before the world as a “criminal.”
Although Nigerians were told he was facing an administrative probe panel and, instantly, he was placed on indefinite suspension, all his aides withdrawn and entitlements stopped.
Meanwhile, in the same country, there is a House of Representative committee probing allegations of corruption against Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta, yet he was not placed on suspension nor was he arrested along the road. In fact, his letter of invitation described him as “Honourable Minister.”
In the mean time, Magu was sleeping with mosquitoes the same way his former suspects were exposed; a team was sent to his official residence in Karu, on the outskirts of Abuja. It was thoroughly searched and his wife was said to have signed the disclosing that the team left with documents, since they found nothing incriminating. Minutes later, the media was awash with stories alleging that N22 billion cash, $200 million, €78 million, and 250 mansions were traced to him.
If he has erred then prosecute him; but simple logic shows that such a large amount of cash would inconvenience the owner in the same room.
Moreover, such amounts cannot be kept under even under a presidential bed. Again, the public was informed that the computers belonging to Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit and, surprisingly, there was no single arrest made. This public trial of Magu is like the ocean wave that would later wash to the shore its debris.
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Another female pilot killed?
In 2002 , I wrote a book, titled “Dark Clouds: Confessions of notorious armed robbers in Nigeria.” One of the scary investigative stories revealed the death of a lady pilot in Lagos. Eighteen years after that gory incident, another lady pilot is reported to have died in circumstances beckoning for thourough investigation. In her case, Hajia Adiza, who was the first female commercial pilot with Nigeria Airways, was transferred to Lagos from Abuja and the unmarried lady pilot took along two domestic servants, Peter Idowu, whom she later converted to be her security guard, and one Abdulahi, who was her steward.
The steward was said to know the lady pilot’s idiosyncrasies better than the other servant. At her number 40AB, Boudillon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, home, she was described by her domestic staff as an introvert who never had a visitor and only went out when on flight. According to police officer Sam Okaula, who carried out the investigation, on January 10, 1998 her “trusted” servants plotted to kill her and burgle the house because they always saw her with plenty America dollars each time she returned from flights.
So, they conspired to kill her with the collaboration of Abubakar, Garba and Buhari. After stabbing her to death, they broke open the toilet septic tank and dumped her body inside. They all shared her properties and the bundles of foreign currencies found in the room. Enquirers from her neighbours received the explanation that she had travelled abroad but her long absence attracted suspicion that led to police being invited. All the perpetrators were rounded up by officer Okaula.
Unfortunately, Nigeria is once again in tears over the death of the first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile. She was reported to have been killed in an auto crash on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, by a reversing car inside the Air Force base in Kaduna. According to reports, her friend, identified as Mr. Adejoh, mistakenly hit her with his vehicle from the rear. “Upon recognising their schoolmate, Arotile, after passing her, Mr. Adejoh, who was driving, quickly reversed his vehicle, ostensibly in an attempt to quickly catch up with the deceased.
“In the process, the vehicle hit Flying Officer Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her to hit her head on the pavement. The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her further injuries,” air force spokesperson, Ibikunle Daramola, said in a statement.
Her exceptional bravery in the field to protect the country from the onslaught of bandits in the North attracted her being upgraded and decorated (winged) last year by Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar in Abuja. Security analysts argue that the speed limit inside the Air Force base is supposed to be very limited and could not have warranted a reversing car to cause such an accident that could take the life of a gallant pilot like late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile. She was quoted to have joined the Nigerian Air Force out of a passion for the job. In her words, “I joined the military simply out of passion.”
Born on December 13, 1995, to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Akintunde Arotile in Kaduna, she hails from Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. She attended Air Force Primary School, Kaduna, from 2000 to 2005 and Air Force Secondary School, Kaduna, from 2006 to 2011, before she gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, as a member of 64 Regular Course on September 22, 2012.
Flying Officer Arotile was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force as a Pilot Officer on September 16, 2017, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Flying Officer Arotile was winged as the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force on October 15, 2019, after completing her flying training in South Africa. She holds a commercial pilot license and also underwent tactical flying training on the Agusta 109 power attack helicopter in Italy.
“Incidentally, she introduced the newly acquired Agusta 109 power attack helicopter to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, during the induction at Eagle Square in Abuja on February 6, 2020. Many described her as a devout Christian and a team player.
