The Abia State Police Command has recovered 28 human skulls and other human bones from suspected criminal camps in forests around the Isuochi and Nneato communities in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement following a security operation conducted on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
According to Chinaka, the operation was carried out under the command’s “Operation No Hideout for Criminal Elements in the State,” an initiative aimed at flushing out suspected criminals and dismantling their camps across the state.
She said the operation involved personnel from the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anti-Cultism Unit, Intelligence Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad and the Isuochi Police Headquarters.
Chinaka said the operatives conducted intelligence-led raids on suspected criminal camps in forests around Umuaku and Isuochi, as well as another camp at Nneato, also in the Isuochi area.
She explained that the suspected criminals fled upon the arrival of the police operatives, leaving the camps deserted.
“Upon arrival of the Command tactical operatives at the camps, the suspects ran. The criminal camps were subsequently scattered,” Chinaka said.
The police spokesperson said the human remains were discovered during a search of the suspected kidnappers’ camps.
She said, “Total of twenty-eight (28) human skulls and bones, which we suspect are kidnap victims, were recovered.”
Chinaka added that some of the recovered remains were already decomposed.
She said the command suspected that the remains belonged to people who had been kidnapped and taken into the forest, but stressed that investigations were ongoing to establish their identities and circumstances surrounding their deaths.
No arrest had been made in connection with the discovery as of the time of the statement, as the suspected criminals reportedly fled before the arrival of the police.
“Investigation is ongoing, while monitoring of the area continues, and efforts are high to catch the suspects who are on the run,” Chinaka said.
Photographs and videos released by the police showed human skulls and bones scattered on the ground inside the forest.
The command said the operation was part of its wider efforts to dismantle suspected criminal camps and improve security across the state.
The Umunneochi area has previously featured in security operations targeting suspected kidnappers, with authorities in earlier operations also reporting the recovery of decomposing human remains in parts of the local government area.
The Abia State Police Command urged residents to provide useful information that could assist security agencies in identifying and tackling criminal activities in the state.