Full list: 104 Nigerian soldiers declared missing weeks after deadly Boko Haram attack on Borno base

SaharaReporters says it exclusively obtained an internal military document listing 104 soldiers of the 162 Amphibious Battalion as reportedly missing after the June 5 attack on the Mandaragirau base.

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the attack and the deaths of five soldiers, but has not publicly confirmed the reported list of 104 personnel.

According to the report, the soldiers were declared AWOL after allegedly failing to return to duty following the attack and were said to have left with their service rifles.

As of publication, the Nigerian Army has not issued an official statement yet

Weeks after a deadly Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attack on a military base in Borno State, 104 Nigerian Army personnel have reportedly been declared missing, according to an internal military document exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters.

The report said the affected personnel are members of the 162 Amphibious Battalion, whose Forward Operating Base in Mandaragirau, along the Mandara–Buratai Road in Borno State, came under attack by suspected ISWAP fighters on June 5, 2026.

According to SaharaReporters, the internal military signal, dated June 13, 2026, declared the soldiers Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) after they allegedly failed to return to their duty post following the attack. The report added that the personnel were also said to have left with their assigned service rifles.

The document reportedly instructed military formations across the country to apprehend any of the listed personnel if found and hand them over to the nearest military authority.

The Nigerian Army has publicly confirmed that the Mandaragirau base was attacked by suspected ISWAP fighters in the early hours of June 5.

In a statement issued after the incident, the Director of Army Public Relations, Lt.-Col. Appolonia Anele, said troops of the 162 Battalion successfully repelled the terrorists after intense fighting.

According to her, the military inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, while five soldiers paid the supreme price during the encounter.

"The troops, with reinforcement from the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, engaged the terrorists in a fierce firefight, neutralising several of them and forcing the others to retreat," Anele said.

She added that troops recovered weapons and other equipment abandoned by the fleeing insurgents, while clearance operations continued in the area.

SaharaReporters reported that the internal military signal listed the names, service numbers and ranks of all 104 personnel and directed commanders nationwide to arrest them if located.

The report further stated that the soldiers allegedly disappeared with their service rifles after the attack, a development that has raised concerns within military circles because the weapons remain government property.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army has not publicly confirmed or denied the reported list of 104 personnel obtained by SaharaReporters.

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The reported development comes amid renewed attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP in parts of Borno State, where troops under Operation Hadin Kai have continued counter-insurgency operations against the terrorist groups.

If officially confirmed, the reported disappearance of 104 personnel would represent one of the largest cases of soldiers being declared AWOL during Nigeria's long-running war against insurgents in the North-East.

SaharaReporters says it exclusively obtained an internal military document listing 104 soldiers of the 162 Amphibious Battalion as reportedly missing after the June 5 attack on the Mandaragirau base.

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the attack and the deaths of five soldiers, but has not publicly confirmed the reported list of 104 personnel.

According to the report, the soldiers were declared AWOL after allegedly failing to return to duty following the attack and were said to have left with their service rifles.

As of publication, the Nigerian Army has not issued an official statement authenticating the document obtained by SaharaReporters or confirming the reported status of the listed personnel.