UNIBEN Classmate Recounts Last Conversation with NAF Pilot Killed in Ondo Crash

Postgraduate students of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Benin, UNIBEN, have been thrown into mourning following the death of Squadron Leader Mamud I. Aburimen, pilot of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

Aburimen, who died in Monday’s crash while on a flight from Benin to Lagos, was a Master’s student in the department.

He was in the university last Friday for a make-up test organised by one of his lecturers.

His class representative for the Master’s programme, Desmond Odiah, said he had spoken with Aburimen days before the crash.

Odiah said they both started from the Postgraduate Diploma, PGD, level and proceeded to Master’s together.

“We were currently doing our Master’s together, but we actually started from Postgraduate Diploma. We did PGD together for one year and, after the results, we went for Master’s together too,” Odiah said.

“I became closer to him when I became the class representative for the Master’s programme. He was always reaching out to me privately about classes, anything that had to do with academics.”

Describing the late officer as a “perfect gentleman”, Odiah said Aburimen was gentle, disciplined and non-confrontational.

“He didn’t have issues. Every single time he was in the class, he was always at the back with his cap on. So he was a perfect gentleman that didn’t want issues, didn’t want any problems,” he said.

He said despite demanding military duties, Aburimen made efforts to attend classes and keep up academically.

“Regardless of his tedious work and responsibility, he was able to try as much as possible to attend classes. He was even around on Friday, this last week Friday, for a make-up test.

“I actually reached out to him about the test, so that was the last time we spoke. He told me that he was in school already for the make-up test. He was somebody who believed in due process,” Odiah added.

[Rejigged Vanguard report]