On Sunday, July 18, 2021, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo joined the league of heroes who fell from the sky and lived to tell their stories. He was literarily plucked off the skies by the weapons of the colleagues of men on whose heads he had successfully dropped off some fire power.
It was mission accomplished against the troublers of Nigeria, he having eliminated some insurgents somewhere in Nigeria’s northeast, the hotbed of the Islamist battle in the country. But the return journey was not to be as successful. They hit his jet. He parachuted and began a ground flight until he reached a safe haven.
It is so scary carrying tons of lethal weapons on the wings of an aircraft up there in the sky to drop on of enemies below. It is perhaps scarier to swoop on those enemies like a bird of prey to drop the elements on them in their numbers to send them to God to answer for their sins, quoting the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Farouk Yahaya.
But how scary it is for these enemies to bring one down while on such a mission. Dairo’s challenge, once downed, was how to evade being captured by these same enemies until help would come his way. The coming of the night made the experience drearier.
His bravery and composure in such a situation were captured in this graphic depiction by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore, Edward Gabkwet: “Using his survival instincts, the pilot, who came under intense ground fire from the bandits, was able to evade them and sought refuge in nearby settlements awaiting sunset.
“Using the cover of darkness and his phone set for navigation, Flight Lieutenant Dairo was able to elude several bandits’ strongholds and maneuvered his way to a Nigerian Army Unit, where he was finally rescued.”
Flt. Lieutenant Dairo became an instant national hero, and Nigerians are celebrating him for his prowess. They are calling for his promotion. He is our hero.
Dairo joins a long list of brave and lucky men who came down from the sky, some into thick forests, some into hard places, and still others into the ocean, and survived.
That list includes George H.W. Bush (now late), former President of the United States. During World War 11, Bush served as a pilot with the U.S., and carried out sorties against the Japanese forces.
During one of such attacks on Chichi Jima he and his crew members were hit by an anti-aircraft bullets. Bush parachuted, but his crew members were not so lucky, as they both died.
He landed on the ocean and had to wait for four long hours before being rescued.
It has been a beautiful Monday in Nigeria watching Dairo’s heroic welcome as he was received by the top brass of Nigeria’s military men. He was received warmly by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, and others at the NAF Base in Kaduna.
Everyone has a reason to be glad for the nation could we would have been mourning. It’s also kudos to the military leaders for their quick response to save the nation from another embarrassment.
