Over 100 soldiers missing with personal rifles 

The Nigerian Army has declared 104 soldiers attached to the 162 Amphibious Battalion along the Mandara–Buratai Road in Borno State as deserters after they reportedly went missing with their service rifles following a deadly terrorist attack on their base in early June.

The development comes weeks after suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched an overnight assault on the battalion’s location on June 5. According to an earlier report by PREMIUM TIMES, the insurgents exploited heavy rainfall and poor visibility to overrun the base, resulting in casualties among security personnel.

The Nigerian Army had confirmed the attack at the time, stating that five soldiers and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) were killed during the incident.

According to a military signal obtained by Sahara Reporters, the affected personnel allegedly abandoned their duty post on June 5 and fled to unknown destinations with their personal weapons in the aftermath of the attack.

The document, signed by Lieutenant FI Ndubuisi, identified the soldiers as including Staff Sergeant Idris Mohammed and 103 others. It stated that they had “absconded from their place of deployment to an unknown destination” following the terrorist attack.

The signal further declared that the soldiers had failed to return to duty and had consequently been classified as deserters.

Military sources told Sahara Reporters that commands and formations across the country have been directed to arrest the affected personnel if found within their areas of responsibility and hand them over to the appropriate authorities. The sources also claimed that the bank accounts of the 104 soldiers had been frozen pending their arrest.

According to the document, those declared deserters comprise one staff sergeant, three sergeants, seven corporals, 38 lance corporals and 55 privates.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army had not issued an official public statement on the declaration of the soldiers as deserters. Efforts to obtain a response from the Army spokesperson, Colonel Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to telephone calls or text messages seeking comment.