On December 8, 2018, when Perowei
Jacob held his wife as both walked under the crossed swords, a million things
would have run through his mind— to rise through the air force ranks, and at
each promotion ceremony, see his wife decorate him as the tradition is with the
military. It is an event career officers always looked to.
Death took him. The news came too
sudden, overwhelming everyone with sadness, that Jacob’s marriage was just for
three weeks.
On the night of January 2, 2019,
the flight lieutenant and his co-fighters aboard an air force helicopter
crashed while providing support to troops of the army’s 145 battalion at
Damasak in Borno state.
A MAN WITH ZERO WORRIES
Jacob has been described as a
gentle officer who had a kind heart. The Bayelsa born, like every other young
person, had wished to live many more years to fulfillment. At his last birthday
in April, he had responded ‘amen’ to a friend on his Facebook wall who
commented ‘more years fall on you.’
For Alvinben Raymond, a fighter
with the air force, Jacob was the reason
he is a soldier today.
“Oh! What a painful exit,”
Raymond took to Facebook to let out his feelings.
 |
| Gallant Jacob |
“A man with zero worries that
treats everyone like his own blood. The man I called my godfather who made me a
soldier today. I wonder why death has to take you away from us. It is well and
I will always remember your good love,” he wrote.
Ochai Michael, another of his
friend, would describe Jacob as ‘an asset worth more than diamonds.’
HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON HONEYMOON, NOT WAR FRONT
Since the report surfaced that
Jacob got married last month, Nigerians have taken to social media to pay
condolence, praying for the wife he left behind.
“They don’t die who live in
hearts they leave behind. Hope the federal government will pay the family in
distress more than sufficient compensation,” Ekundayo Ayodele, a Facebook user
wrote.
Peter Nwoji, another user,
wouldn’t understand why the newly married will be on the frontline barely a
month he got married.
He commented; “ he should never
have been at the war front in the first place. He should have been on
honeymoon.”
Kuku Temitope, however, thinks
Jacob’s needed service at that moment might not have been negotiable.
“He ought to have been given some
months off, but then his services might have been very dire to his comrades, he
responded to duty. Many could have died. Sorry, pity we lost a hero,” he
commented.
In a condolence message on
Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari
said the sacrifice of the fighters will never be in vain.
“These fine officers and men lost
their lives striving to guarantee our safety and protection as a people and a
nation,” the President said.
In a statement after the
incident, the air force had identified Jacob, pilot in command; Kaltho
Kilyofas, co-pilot; Auwal Ibrahim, flight technician; Adamu Nura, gunner, Meshack Ishmael, gunner as the fallen soldiers.
Their remains had since been
deposited in Maiduguri, Borno state capital.
Photo credit: Facebook page of Alvinben Raymond, a fellow airman in the
Nigerian air force
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