According to an exclusive report by SaharaReporters, a classified military document containing the full names of 104 Nigerian Army soldiers declared deserters after a Boko Haram attack on their base in Borno State has surfaced. The development follows an earlier exclusive report by the platform on June 5, which revealed that terrorists overran a Nigerian Army position along the Mandara–Buratai Road, killing at least eight soldiers and beheading them in the early hours of the assault.
A source told SaharaReporters that the terrorists stormed the base in large numbers, taking advantage of heavy rainfall and poor visibility to catch the troops off guard. Gory images from the scene obtained by the platform confirmed the scale of the assault, though the Nigerian Army has yet to issue an official statement on what unfolded that night.
Who the Soldiers Were
According to SaharaReporters, the soldiers were attached to the 162 Amphibious Battalion stationed along the Mandara–Buratai Road. Following the deadly assault, they were listed in the military document as having “absconded” from their duty post, taking their personal weapons with them. 
The breakdown of those declared missing includes one Staff Sergeant, three Sergeants, seven Corporals, thirty-eight Lance Corporals, and fifty-five Privates; 104 soldiers in total, each identified in the document by full name, rank, and army service number.
More than three weeks after the attack, a military signal marked “RESTRICTED” and signed by Lieutenant Ndubuisi formally declared the 104 personnel deserters with effect from June 5, 2026.
“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,” the signal read.
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The Army Is Trying to Hide It
A source close to the development gave SaharaReporters a more candid account of what the military’s internal documents will not say outright.
“This is the list of soldiers who deserted from the 162 Battalion along Biu Road. Boko Haram slaughtered a Major and seven other soldiers,” the source said. “That was early this month. 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.”
This presumes that 104 men, in the middle of a documented terrorist assault that left others beheaded, made a collective decision to flee with their weapons rather than fight, die, or be captured. The source’s account suggests the truth may be far less certain and far more troubling.
Why This Matters
The classification of these soldiers as deserters, rather than as missing or unaccounted for following a documented terrorist attack, raises significant questions. SaharaReporters’ earlier reporting confirmed that the same base came under a violent assault that killed at least eight soldiers, some of whom were beheaded. Against that backdrop, the decision to label 104 additional personnel as having abandoned their post, rather than acknowledging the chaos and casualties of an active attack, has drawn scrutiny over how the Nigerian military accounts for soldiers in the aftermath of insurgent assaults in the northeast.
For the families of the men named in the document, the designation carries serious consequences. A soldier officially declared a deserter faces very different administrative, legal, and financial treatment than one declared missing in action or killed in the line of duty; affecting everything from military benefits to how search and accountability efforts are pursued.
The Army’s own response to the document has only deepened those concerns. In the signal, military authorities warned that the soldiers would face dire consequences if found. Sources within the military further disclosed that authorities have frozen the bank accounts of all 104 personnel and have notified various formations to “immediately apprehend and deliver” any of the soldiers found within their areas of responsibility.
For families still waiting to hear whether their sons, husbands, and brothers are alive, the Army’s immediate priority appears to be capture rather than rescue.
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The Full List
The document obtained by SaharaReporters names all 104 personnel by rank and army number.
Staff Sergeant
Idris Mohammed, Army No. 98NA/46/1906
Sergeants
Omotoyinbo Samuel, 04NA/55/0901; Oyinbo John, 09NA/64/5990; Folorunsho Michael, 03NA/53/1791
Corporals
Onumaru Felix, 12NA/68/6732; Adenekan Amos, 13NA/70/8004; Basiru Garba, 13NA/70/7338; Fatoki Olusegun, 13NA/70/6585; Abu Mohammed, 13NA/70/3372; Emmanuel Moses, 14NA/71/12704; Aminu Bello, 15NA/73/0416
Lance Corporals
Abdullahi Kamalu, 12NA/68/6096; Adeniyi Kehinde, 12NA/68/6985; Oko Michael, 15NA/74/4413; Modey Ernest, 15NA/74/3728; Usman Abdulazeez, 15NA/74/4063; Adamu Hassan, 16NA/75/4906; Mohammed Abdulrahman, 16NA/75/3182; Onengiye Gabriel, 17NA/76/3028; Hassan, 17NA/76/3895; Ator Desmond, 17NA/76/3971; Ibrahim Mubarak, 17NA/76/3860; Rufai Ubale, 17NA/76/4391; Musa Abdullahi, 17NA/76/5351; Abayomi Sunday, 17NA/76/5419; Mathias Clement, 17NA/76/5578; Buhari Idris, 17NA/76/5343; Bulama Mukhtar, 17NA/76/1750; Isah Mukaila, 17NA/76/4807; Jamilu Aliyu, 17NA/76/5093; Ali Abdullahi, 17NA/76/5112; Yusuf Saidu, 17NA/76/5251; Abdullahi Garba, 17NA/76/3665; Mubarak Aliyu, 17NA/76/5658; Awa Michael, 17NA/76/0128; Aliyu Musa, 17NA/76/1975; Onikoyi Lawal, 19NA/78/0839; Sambo Abdulrahman, 19NA/78/1758; Olorundare Azeez, 19NA/78/2229; Shuaibu Ibrahim, 19NA/78/2815; Muhammed Adamu, 19NA/78/2628; Ibrahim Abdulaziz, 19NA/78/3579; Samuel Alexander, 20NA/79/1063; Nazeem Mahmud, 20NA/79/4577; Ahmed Shuaibu, 20NA/79/4450; Tamini James, 20NA/79/2496; Abdulrazaq Salisu, 20NA/79/2715; Tijani Adamu, 20NA/79/3164; Gambo Rabiu, 20NA/79/4485
Privates
Saliu Sueliman, 21NA/80/0560; Musa Lucky, 21NA/80/1598; Mustapha Muhammed, 21NA/80/2482; Ayuba Rimanshong, 21NA/80/3077; Tijjani Mohammed, 21NA/80/3239; Jibrin Danladi, 21NA/80/5705; Edwin Friday, 21NA/80/2256; Abdullahi Tanko, 21NA/80/4391; Muhammed Lawan, 21NA/80/4899; Samotu Musa, 21NA/80/0980; John Samaila, 21NA/80/4828; Adebayo Monday, 21NA/80/1581; Silas Gibson, 21NA/80/2718; Aliyu Mamman, 21NA/80/4831; Bright Precious, 21NA/80/5749; Alkasim Maharaz, 21NA/81/8880; James Naphtali, 21NA/81/6958; Umar Taufeeq, 21NA/81/10018; Buhari Sani, 21NA/81/10508; Oleka Isaac, 21NA/81/7686; Ibrahim Mathew, 21NA/81/10418; Abubakar Idris, 22NA/82/3494; Yahaya Yusuf, 22NA/82/3834; Ibrahim Mohammed, 22NA/82/2183; Sabiu Muktar, 22NA/82/2101; Babangida John, 22NA/83/10713; Danjuma Ali, 22NA/83/10284; Mas’ud Ismail, 22NA/83/11257; Ahmed Abubakar, 22NA/83/11381; Sulaiman Musa, 22NA/83/11662; Saad Auwal, 22NA/83/11685; Abubakar Yusuf, 22NA/83/6787; Adamu Mohammed, 22NA/83/7382; Umar Sulaiman, 22NA/83/7654; Mahmud Saifullahi, 22NA/83/8278; Ebe Gideon, 22NA/83/8346; Abdulrahman Aliyu, 22NA/83/8829; Yarima Atiku, 22NA/83/9767; Idris Mustapha, 22NA/83/6095; Garzali Suleiman, 23NA/84/5681; Aliyu Abdullahamed, 23NA/85/11771; David Wisdom, 23NA/85/11990; Nikodemon Victor, 23NA/85/12310; Kazeem Lukman, 23NA/85/8298; Pinon Yunana, 23NA/85/9525; Haladu Isah, 23NA/85/1021; Abubakar Abdullahi, 23NA/85/11366; Friday Justine, 23NA/85/11721; Selim Lawan, 23NA/85/12512; Azaka Samuel, 23NA/85/7240; Zakari Aminu, 24NA/86/4203; Sufianu Bello, 24NA/86/4934; Abba Miko, 24NA/86/5198; Lawal Mubarak, 24NA/87/6647; Isiya Musa, 24NA/87/8279
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Where This Stands
The earlier killings reported by SaharaReporters on June 5 remain part of a broader pattern of insurgent attacks on military positions in Borno State, a region that has borne the brunt of the Boko Haram conflict for over a decade.
Families of soldiers serving in the northeast continue to face long periods without confirmation of their loved ones’ fate following attacks of this nature; a reality this latest document brings into sharp focus once again.
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