Nehemiah and David Adejo, two brothers detained over the death of Tolulope Arotile, Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, were on Thursday arraigned before a magistrate court in Kaduna on a four-count charge.
Nehemiah was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and attention, driving without licence and driving without authorisation of the owner, while David was charged with negligent conduct while causing danger to person and property.
They both pleaded not guilty.
Martins Leo, the prosecuting counsel, argued that Nehemiah be remanded in prison on the basis of a pending investigation on culpable homicide against him.
However, Ibrahim Omachi, counsel to the accused, said his clients are first-time offenders and had already spent more than four weeks in detention.
After listening to the arguments from both sides, Benjamin Hassan, the judge, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N1 million with two sureties who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court and possess bank verification number (BVN).
The case was adjourned till August 24 and 25 for hearing.
Arotile died on July 14, 2020, after she sustained head injuries when she was knocked down by a car driven by Nehemiah, her old classmate, at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna.
