Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The police in Abia State have recovered 28 human skulls and other human bones from suspected criminal camps in forests around Isuochi and Nneato communities in Umunneochi Local Government Area.
The remains were discovered on Sunday, September 27, 2026, during a security operation targeting suspected criminal hideouts in the area.
Police spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, said the operation was conducted under “Operation No Hideout for Criminal Elements in the State,” as part of efforts to dismantle criminal camps across the state.
She said personnel from the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anti-Cultism Unit, Intelligence Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad and Isuochi Police Headquarters participated in the operation.
According to Chinaka, the operatives carried out intelligence-led raids on suspected criminal camps around Umuaku and Isuochi, as well as another camp in Nneato.
She said suspected criminals abandoned the camps and fled when the police arrived, leaving the operatives to search the deserted locations.
“Upon arrival of the Command tactical operatives at the camps, the suspects ran. The criminal camps were subsequently scattered,” Chinaka said.
During the search, the operatives found human remains, some of which were already decomposed.
“Total of twenty-eight (28) human skulls and bones, which we suspect are kidnap victims, were recovered,” she said.
The police said the remains are suspected to belong to people who may have been kidnapped and taken into the forests, but stressed that investigations are ongoing to establish their identities and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
No arrest has been made in connection with the discovery, as the suspects fled before the arrival of the security operatives.
“Investigation is ongoing, while monitoring of the area continues, and efforts are high to catch the suspects who are on the run,” Chinaka said.
The command said the operation forms part of ongoing efforts to identify and dismantle criminal camps in Abia, while urging residents to provide useful information that could assist security agencies in apprehending suspected criminals.
