My last moments with pilot –Widow

Widow of the pilot of the helicopter that crashed in Bayelsa State, last Saturday, Hajia Ummu Abubakar Daba, yesterday in Kano bade her husband goodbye, saying she would treasure every moment of their marital life. Hajia spoke in Yarkasuwa Quarters, Dala, which is located in the city walls of Kano.
“I remember everything about my husband, I will remember everything about him and I will remember him in this special way,” she declared amidst intermittent sobs when asked what were the things she remembered most about her husband. In his honour, the naval authorities yesterday decorated Commander Mohammed Murtala Daba with the Forces Service Star (FSS) medal post-humously. He had merited the medal of honour, but could not be formally decorated until he passed on last Saturday. Commander Daba was only recently decorated with the rank of a naval commander.
This came as the late pilot was laid to rest according to Islamic rites at the Dandolo Cemetery in Kano. Chief Imam of Bakin Ruwa Mosque, Mallam Haliru, who prayed for the repose of Daba’s soul, led the funeral prayer. Daily Sun observed that while the men went for the funeral, all the sorrowful women remained at home to console his widow, who had since become frail on account of the huge shock of the tragedy. Hajia Daba said the death of her husband was painful, adding that she was not expecting anything like death in the family, even as she acknowledged that theirs was a very close marriage, full of joy and laughter.
“Honestly, I cannot actually express how I feel now or how I felt when I heard the news (of his death) because I didn’t see it coming. We have always had a wonderful time together,” she lamented. She disclosed that the last time she saw her husband alive was last month, precisely on November 21 before he was called up for official duty. Talking about what she was doing when she heard the news, she said: “I had just returned home from a child dedication in Lagos, because we live in Lagos. And a friend called me to ask if “I have heard that my husband was involved in a crash.”