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The Chief of Army Staff welfare flight has airlifted 332 military personnel into and out of Nigeria’s northeast theatre as part of routine troop rotation and welfare support, the army said on Wednesday.
The first welfare flight for June conveyed 174 personnel into the Operation Hadin Kai theatre, while 158 personnel departed the theatre, according to an operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria.
A chartered ValueJet aircraft conducted the movement without incident, the report added.
The welfare flight programme, introduced by the Chief of Army Staff, aims to improve troop welfare, morale and operational efficiency in active theatres, particularly in the northeast.
The initiative provides regular airlift support for personnel rotation into and out of operational areas. It reduces stress associated with long-distance ground movement through high-risk routes, the military said.
The programme also ensures timely deployment and redeployment of troops while supporting command logistics across the theatre of operations.
A cumulative total of 33,097 personnel have so far travelled into and out of the theatre under the welfare flight programme, according to the military.
Military authorities describe the programme as a key welfare and force-sustainment mechanism in ongoing counter-insurgency operations.
Since its inception, the initiative has moved tens of thousands of personnel, contributing to improved manpower management and sustained operational readiness in the northeast, where troops continue to battle Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents.
