104 soldiers disappear with rifles after the terrorist raid in Borno

…. Army says missing troops are deserters weeks after ISWAP attack

…The military orders a nationwide manhunt and freezes the accounts of affected personnel

Daud Olatunji

The Nigerian Army has declared 104 soldiers attached to the 162 Amphibious Battalions as deserters after they allegedly went missing with their service rifles following a deadly attack by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on a military base in Borno state.

According to PLATFORM TIMES, the soldiers, deployed along the Mandara-Buratai road, have been missing since June 5, when the insurgents launched a coordinated night assault on their base, taking advantage of heavy rain and poor visibility.

An internal military signal, reportedly signed by Lieutenant FI Ndubuisi, accused the troops of abandoning their post of duty and fleeing to unknown locations with their personal weapons.

The signal stated that the personnel, led by Staff Sergeant Idris Mohammed, had failed to report for duty weeks after the attack and had consequently been declared deserters.

He also ordered military formations and units across the country to arrest all affected personnel found in their areas of responsibility and hand them over to the relevant authorities.

Military sources also revealed that the bank accounts of the soldiers involved have been frozen pending their arrest, although the Nigerian army has not yet officially confirmed the measure.

The 104 personnel include a sergeant major, three sergeants, seven corporals, 38 corporals and 55 privates.

The development comes weeks after suspected ISWAP insurgents overran the battalion’s position in a deadly raid that left several casualties.

After the June 5 attack, the Nigerian military confirmed that five soldiers and three members of the civilian joint task force were killed during the assault.

However, the army has yet to make a public statement on declaring the 104 soldiers as deserters.

Efforts to get an official reaction from the Director of Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages addressed to her were not responded to at the time of filing this report.

The names and service numbers of the affected personnel were contained in the leaked internal military signal, although the military has not officially released the list.

Source: premium teeth

‘

Want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need advertising for a product, service or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com

We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Please donate any amount HERE