The Nigerian Army has airlifted 352 military personnel into and out of the North-East as part of the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Welfare Flight programme designed to support troops serving in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign under Operation HADIN KAI.
The development was reported by security analyst Zagazola Makama.
According to the report, the first COAS Welfare Flight for August 2026 was successfully conducted on August 1 using a chartered ValueJet aircraft to facilitate the deployment and rotation of personnel serving in the North-East theatre of operations.
Makama reported that the aircraft conveyed 177 personnel into the Operation HADIN KAI theatre, while another 175 personnel were transported out of the operational area, bringing the total number of troops moved during the exercise to 352.
“The latest movement increased the cumulative number of personnel transported into and out of the OPHK theatre under the COAS Welfare Flight initiative to 34,466,” the report stated.
According to the report, the welfare flight initiative was introduced to improve the welfare of troops by easing movement to and from operational areas, ensuring timely deployment, facilitating personnel rotation and supporting operational effectiveness.
Military authorities, according to Makama, confirmed that the latest airlift operation was completed successfully without any security or logistical incident.
The welfare flight initiative remains one of the Nigerian Army’s measures to improve troop morale by easing personnel rotation in the North-East, where Operation HADIN KAI continues counter-insurgency operations.
Nigerian Army airlifts 352 troops as COAS welfare flights hit 34,466 personnel