‘My heartbeat has gone’ — mother laments over pilot killed in Kaduna crash

Rachael, mother of 29-year-old Taiwo Asaniyi, one of the victims of the military aircraft crash in Kaduna, has lamented the death of her son. 

The air crash occurred on Friday near the Kaduna international airport, claiming the lives of Ibrahim Attahiru, chief of army staff, and 10 other military officers.

In an interview with NAN on Monday, the bereaved mother, a teacher, said the death of her son has left her family helpless.   

“My heartbeat has gone. It is only God who can console the family. I am a teacher due for retirement in February 2022. Taiwo was my son and my friend. Now he is gone and gone forever,” she said.

“I don’t know what to say or do now, but I have put everything in the hands of God.”

Rufus Asaniyi, father of the deceased pilot, said his son has been a blessing and has been sustaining the family as his other siblings are unemployed. 

The older Asaniyi recounted the pains he went through to give his children access to quality education. 

“I struggled to ensure that my children have the best. I did farming for 32 years to support my teaching job, just to ensure that my children have the best education,” he said.

“Since my retirement in 2019, Taiwo has been the one sustaining my family. All the responsibilities of the family had been on his shoulders, being the first male child.

“He was a blessing to us and our extended family. I had thought that the chain of hardship had been broken, but God took him away.”

Asaniyi also appealed to the federal government to provide jobs for his late son’s siblings.

“Taiwo’s twin sister is a graduate, but she has not secured a job and so are his other siblings too. Nothing can be compared with the sacrifices that I and my wife had made for our children and we had thought that Taiwo would be of help to the family,” he continued.

“I want to appeal to the government to please help me find jobs for them because God has taken my beloved Taiwo away.”

On their part, the siblings of the deceased said they take solace in the fact that their late brother lived a fulfilled life.