The Nigerian Air Force said on Tuesday that it has started the airlift of election materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).

A statement signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air commodore Ibikunle Daramola said the airlift would be conducted day and night to deliver sensitive and non-sensitive materials to designated places.

Air Commodore Daramola said: “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on Monday 11 February 2019, commenced the airlift of electoral materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the country for the conduct of the 2019 General Elections.

“The airlift exercise includes day and night missions, during which both sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials were conveyed in batches, with NAF C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja to various airports across the country.

“The materials were duly delivered by the C-130H aircraft crew to teams of INEC and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officials together with security personnel waiting at the various airports.

“It may be recalled that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, during his meeting with Air Officers Commanding (AOCs) and NAF Field Commanders on 1 February 2019, had expressed the readiness of the NAF to avail INEC its transport aircraft to enable expeditious movement of electoral materials, as done in the past.

“It is pertinent to state that the transport aircraft are deployed solely to provide airlift support to meet INEC’s logistics requirements, in fulfilment of NAF’s constitutional role of providing Military Aid to Civil Authority. “