‘Thanks for your prayers’, pilot’s last post before surviving bandits’ bullets

Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo is lucky to be alive and that could be as a result of prayers.

An aircraft he flew to a zone of bandits’ on Sunday crashed after it was shot in Zamfara State.

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After he parachuted into a forest, some residents came to his aid and he was hidden from the enemies who went after him.

He was eventually taken to Abuja, where he was received warmly by Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao.

One month before that incident, Dairo posted a “thank you note” on his Instagram page.

“Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your love. Stay good peeps,” he had posted.

Coincidentally, the young pilot had mourned his colleague Flight Lieutenant Taiwo Asaniyi, who flew the aircraft that crashed in Kaduna, killing military officers, including Lt General Ibrahim Attahiru, former Chief of Army Staff.

In a Facebook post, he had described Asaniyi as a loyal colleague.

“I have lost colleagues and very close buddies and best friends, I had gotten used to the agonies and pains of losing loved ones but this one caught me off-guard.”

“My dearest brother, you might have been my subordinate but the wisdom you possessed was way above your age.  You were loyal to everyone around you and to your nation and calling.

“You were one of the best ever! You made me so proud in all aspects of your life and there was nothing I could have done better than the way you lived and stayed close to God.

“You left as a role model for generations to come and I will forever be proud of you. You have given me a reason to LIVE on and to represent you in this fight till we win . You live on in my heart and memories Taiwo. May God comfort us all, most especially your beloved family. I love you brother. Adieu. May God grant you a peaceful and eternal afterlife Asaniyi Taiwo,” he had written.

Perhaps someone could have written a tribute about him too but luckily, he lived to tell the story.