ABUJA/Nigeria: The Nigerian Army has declared 104 soldiers serving with the 162 Amphibious Battalion in Borno State deserters following a deadly Boko Haram/ISWAP attack on their military base along the Mandara–Buratai Road, according to an internal military signal obtained by SaharaReporters.
The classified document, marked “RESTRICTED,” listed the affected personnel as having absconded from their duty post with their personal weapons after insurgents overran the battalion’s location on June 5, 2026.
The development comes weeks after reports that heavily armed terrorists launched a predawn assault on the battalion, killing at least eight soldiers, including a Major, during the attack.
Military sources quoted by SaharaReporters said the insurgents struck at about 4:00 a.m. under the cover of heavy rainfall, exploiting poor visibility to overwhelm the troops stationed along the strategic Mandara–Buratai Road in Borno State.
According to the sources, at least eight soldiers were killed during the assault, while several others sustained varying degrees of injury. Graphic images reportedly obtained from the scene underscored the scale of the attack, although the Nigerian Army has yet to issue an official public statement on the incident.
More than three weeks after the attack, the Army declared 104 personnel from the battalion deserters, saying they abandoned their deployment on the day of the attack and had since failed to return to duty.
A military signal signed by Lieutenant Ndubuisi stated that the affected personnel left their duty post “to an unknown destination” with their personal weapons following the Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attack.
The signal directed that the soldiers be formally classified as deserters with effect from June 5, 2026, and circulated their identities to military formations across the country for possible arrest.
Military sources further alleged that authorities had frozen the bank accounts of the affected personnel and instructed formations nationwide to apprehend and hand over any of the soldiers found within their areas of responsibility.
A source familiar with the matter claimed that military authorities were still unable to determine whether some of the listed personnel were killed during the attack or fled the battlefield.
According to the source, the attack claimed the life of a Major and seven other soldiers, while the whereabouts of many others remain uncertain.
The internal document shows that those declared deserters comprise one Staff Sergeant, three Sergeants, seven Corporals, 38 Lance Corporals and 55 Privates.
The incident has again drawn attention to the security challenges facing troops engaged in counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria’s North-East, where Boko Haram and ISWAP continue to launch attacks on military formations despite years of sustained operations.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army had not officially responded to the claims contained in the leaked military document or the allegations surrounding the fate of the affected soldiers.
Editor’s Note: The complete list of the 104 soldiers has been withheld from publication due to security, privacy and ethical considerations.
