As Kogi Community Challenges Military Claims of Rescuing 23 Commuters
By Luka Binniyat and Suleman Ayuba
(Maiduguri) – In the early hours of Friday, June 5, 2026, at about 4 a.m, Boko Haram insurgents reportedly attacked the 162 Battalion base in Buratai, Biu County, Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, killing eight soldiers and injuring several others, according to a report by Sahara Reporters
Brutal Attack On Army Base
According to Sahara Reporters, a military source at the Buratai base confirmed the attack, stating that the incident occurred during heavy rainfall in the early hours of Friday.
“162 Battalion Mandara Buratai Road, eight soldiers were killed in action. They attacked us at 4 a.m. today (Friday) when it was raining,” the report quoted the source as saying.
Buratai is located close to the Mandara Mountains along the Nigeria-Cameroon border in southern Borno State.
According to Britinaca.com, the area is marked by ancient volcanic ridges, with peaks rising over 1,400 metres, laced with caves, steep gullies, and dense forests that have sheltered insurgents for years.
Another military source told Sahara Reporters that the attackers overran parts of the facility and launched a devastating assault on troops stationed there.
“They killed eight soldiers and beheaded them. Several others were injured during the attack,” the source told Sahara Reporters.
Sahara Reporters reported that the terrorists stormed the military position in large numbers, catching the troops off guard amid adverse raining conditions.
The report said that security sources added that reinforcement teams had been deployed to the area following the attack, while efforts were ongoing to assess the full extent of casualties and secure the base.
Sahara Reporters also claimed to have obtained graphic footage and images from the scene showing the aftermath of the assault, confirming the scale of the incident, although the publication did not display the footage or still photographs.
However, a video obtained by TruthNigeria from the Facebook page of Native Reporters shows a grim aftermath of the violence, with bodies wrapped in blankets. Background voices can be heard lamenting in the Hausa language that the victims had been slaughtered like rams.
“The latest attack adds to a series of renewed assaults by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters targeting military formations in the Northeast, despite ongoing counterinsurgency operations by the Nigerian military,” the leading Nigerian online news platform stated.
Brave Men Cut Down In Their Prime
Confirming the incident, Markus John, 34, a local volunteer community vigilante in the area, told TruthNigeria from Buratai on Friday, June 5, 2026, that at least eight soldiers were killed during the attack on the military base.
“I know some of them,” he said. “They were brave men cut down in their prime.”
“We are yet to confirm the number of those injured, but they may not be more than ten,” he claimed.
Army Report in Kogi State Disputed
Meanwhile, the community of Aiyegunle Igun Bunu in Kabba-Bunu County, Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, has rebutted claims by the Nigerian Army Headquarters that “troops of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army have successfully rescued 23 kidnapped passengers following a swift counter-kidnapping operation along the Ayegunle–Bunu Road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State on June 1, 2026.”
The community insisted that no such rescue took place.
On the rebuttal of the Nigerian Army’s claims regarding the rescue of abducted passengers in Kogi State, a statement signed by Chief Sunday Daniel Adeniyi, Executive Secretary of the Aiyegunle Igun Bunu Development Association (ABDA), read in part:
“As an indigene and a stakeholder of Aiyegunle Igun, Bunu, in Kabba/Bunu LGA of Kogi State, I wish to make this necessary clarifications to address and correct the misinformation currently circulating online regarding the reported attack and rescue on our peaceful community on June 1, 2026,” the statement obtained by TruthNigeria on Friday, June 5, 2026, stated.
What Truly Unfolded
“ Bandits/kidnappers attacked the community around 02:00 hours, resulting in the death of Elder James Obayomi, a respected community member and a headmaster under the State Universal Basic Education Board.
“The two indigenes (a male and a female), along with an unspecified number of commuters, were abducted, and thereafter the attackers went to nearby Fulani settlements, rustling hundreds of cows during the operation.
“Eyewitness accounts confirm that the attackers operated between 02:00 and 04:00 hours.
“During this period, distress calls were reportedly made to security agencies within the vicinity; however, there was no immediate response while the incident was ongoing.
“It was only after the attackers had left the scene that about three trucks of Nigerian Army personnel arrived,” the statement noted.
“Rather than pursuing the perpetrators or tracing their movements, which could have been feasible given that cattle were allegedly moved, the focus appeared to shift towards gathering and taking the snapshots of some travellers who escaped from being kidnapped and who had taken refuge within the community,” the statement added.
“We are shocked to see pictures on media platforms suggesting that the military rescued victims.
“This sequence of events especially ‘ ‘News About 23 Victims Rescued’ has raised serious concerns among residents here regarding the falsehood being paraded in the media.
“As we are writing this none of the victims either from the community or commuters has been rescued,” he said in apparent reference to those who could not escape from the terrorists during the attack.
Luka Binniyat writes for TruthNigeria from Kaduna and Suleman Ayuba contributes from Maiduguri.
