Tuesday, 25 May 2021: Late 29-year-old pilot, Asaniyi Taiwo, who flew the Nigerian Air Force plane that crashed in Kaduna on Friday, stepped up preparations for his wedding, a day before the crash.

CEOAFRICA reports that the crash, which occurred on May 21 in Kaduna, claimed the lives of Chief of Army of Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other officers.

The eldest child of the Asaniyi family, Oluwatoyin Olaoye, who spoke highly of her late brother, said the family has taken solace in the fact that he lived a fulfilled life.

Olaoye said: “Just a day to the incident, he called me that I should get the list of things sent by our in-laws for his marriage and that I should put costs on them and get back to him.

“He also told me that the military had asked him to proceed on a course in the United Kingdom with effect from June 12.

“My brother was exceptionally brilliant.

“He was the shining light of both our nuclear and extended family, but God knows best.”

In their separate remarks, Kehinde Asaniyi and Taiwo Asaniyi, the immediate younger brother and sister of the late pilot, were full of praises for their brother.

Kehinde said: “Our first child is Toyin; the late Taiwo and Kehinde, who is Abuja for the burial rite, as requested by the Federal Government, are the second born.

“My twin brother, Taiwo, and I are the last born of the family.

“I studied Applied Geology and our brother had promised to help me get a foreign university admission for my Master’s degree because I have won some scholarships already.

“From when I woke up on Friday till when I heard the news, I was very moody, for no reason.

“I slept briefly in the afternoon and dreamt that my life support was removed by God.

“I quickly prayed and hoped nothing untoward would happen; not until when I was told that my best friend and brother was involved in a crash.

“It is not possible for me express how I have been feeling since Friday when I first heard the news from the WhatsApp status of my late brother’s friend.

“It has been extremely difficult because how do you move from planning for his marriage soon to mourning him?”

The atmosphere at the residence of the Asaniyis was very pensive, depicting the mood of the moment while some family members and friends, were on hand to commiserate with the bereaved.