COAS Welfare Flight Airlifts 348 Personnel, Total Beneficiaries Reach 33,774
By: Zagazola Makama
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has continued to strengthen personnel welfare and operational efficiency with the successful conduct of the first welfare flight for July 2026, facilitating the movement of hundreds of military personnel into and out of the North East theatre of operations.
Military sources told Zagazola Makama that the welfare flight was conducted on July 2 using a chartered ValueJet aircraft as part of the Nigerian Army’s sustained welfare initiative designed to ease the movement of troops serving under Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK).
According to the sources, a total of 174 personnel were airlifted into the theatre, while another 174 personnel were transported out, bringing the total number of beneficiaries on the flight to 348.
The sources disclosed that the movement was completed without any operational or logistical challenges.
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They added that with the latest rotation, the cumulative number of military personnel transported into and out of the Operation HADIN KAI theatre under the COAS Welfare Flight Initiative has risen to 33,774.
The welfare flight programme, introduced by the Chief of Army Staff, is aimed at improving the welfare of troops by providing safe, timely and efficient transportation for personnel proceeding on leave, returning from leave, or rotating in and out of operational deployments.
Military authorities have consistently described the initiative as one of the key welfare interventions designed to boost troop morale, reduce the burden of long-distance road travel and enhance operational readiness in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign in the North East.
The hitch-free execution of the latest flight further underscores the Nigerian Army’s commitment to sustaining personnel welfare while maintaining the operational tempo of troops engaged in the fight against terrorism and other security threats across the theatre.