Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
More than three weeks after a devastating dawn raid on a military base in Borno State, the Nigerian Army has declared 104 soldiers missing and officially listed them as deserters, SaharaReporters can exclusively reveal.
The soldiers, attached to the 162 Battalion along the Mandara–Buratai Road in Borno State, have not been seen since the attack, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, June 5, 2026.
A military source, who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity, detailed the brutality of the assault. “At the 162 Battalion on Mandara–Buratai Road, eight soldiers were killed in action. They attacked us at 4 a.m. today, Friday, when it was raining,” the source said. “They killed eight soldiers and beheaded them. Several others were injured during the attack”.
The attack, which caught troops off guard amid heavy rainfall, saw terrorists storm the facility in large numbers, overrunning parts of the base. SaharaReporters had exclusively reported on June 5 that the attack had resulted in multiple casualties. However, the full scale of the aftermath has only now come to light.
More than three weeks later, a second source disclosed that over 104 soldiers who were present at the base before the attack remain unaccounted for. “This is the list of soldiers who deserted from the 162 Battalion along Biu Road. Boko Haram slaughtered a Major and seven other soldiers. That was early this month,” the source said. “This is the list of soldiers who cannot be accounted for after the attack. We cannot say whether they are dead or ran away. The Army is trying to hide it from Nigerians”.
In a dramatic escalation, the Nigerian Army has declared the 104 affected soldiers wanted for desertion. A confidential military signal, exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, formally lists the soldiers as deserters. The signal, signed by Lieutenant Ndubuisi, reads: “The above-named soldier and 103 others absconded from their place of deployment to an unknown destination on June 5, 2026, with their personal weapons after the BHT/ISWAP attack on our location. In view of the foregoing, I am directed to respectfully affirm that the said soldiers have not reported back for duty and are hereby declared deserters with effect from that date”.
Sources have also confirmed that the Army has frozen the bank accounts of the affected personnel. Various military formations have been placed on alert to apprehend and deliver any of the soldiers found within their areas of responsibility. The declaration of desertion comes amid an ongoing investigation and conflicting narratives regarding the fate of the soldiers.
While the military has officially labelled the soldiers as deserters, the circumstances of their disappearance remain shrouded in controversy. The attack on the 162 Battalion is part of a broader pattern of intensified Boko Haram and ISWAP assaults on military formations across Borno State in recent months. The Nigerian Army has not yet issued an official public statement addressing the specific incident or the status of the missing personnel.
The development has raised serious questions about troop morale, operational security, and the true scale of casualties within the Nigerian military as it continues its long-running campaign against the insurgency in the North-East.
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