NEWS
28 Human Skulls, Bones Discovered as Police Raid Suspected Criminal Camps in Abia Forests
The discovery of 28 human skulls and other human bones has sent shockwaves through Abia State following a police operation targeting suspected criminal hideouts in the forests of Umuaku-Isuochi and Nneato in Umunneochi Local Government Area.
The remains were uncovered after tactical operatives of the Abia State Police Command stormed suspected criminal camps in the forest during an intelligence-led operation on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
The operation was part of the command’s ongoing campaign to identify and dismantle criminal hideouts believed to be used by suspected kidnappers and other violent criminal elements operating within the state.
A combined team drawn from the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anti-Cultism Unit, Intelligence Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad and personnel from the Isuochi Police Headquarters participated in the operation.
According to the police, the suspected occupants of the camps fled into the surrounding forest as soon as they noticed the arrival of the security operatives, leaving the hideouts abandoned.
“Upon arrival of the Command tactical operatives at the camps, the suspects ran. The criminal camps were subsequently scattered,” the police spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, said.
The operatives subsequently conducted a thorough search of the abandoned camps, leading to the disturbing discovery of numerous human remains.
“Total of twenty-eight (28) human skulls and bones, which we suspect are kidnap victims, were recovered,” Chinaka said.
The discovery has raised fresh concerns over the activities of suspected criminal groups operating from remote forest locations in parts of Umunneochi, particularly amid continuing security challenges involving kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The police, however, stressed that the identities of the deceased persons and the circumstances surrounding their deaths have not yet been established.
Some of the recovered remains were reportedly already decomposed, making forensic examination and identification an important part of the ongoing investigation.
Authorities are expected to investigate whether the remains are connected to previously reported cases of kidnapping or missing persons in Abia and neighbouring areas, although the police have not publicly established such a connection at this stage.
No suspect has been arrested in connection with the discovery because the occupants of the camps reportedly escaped before the tactical teams could apprehend them.
The command said security personnel had maintained surveillance around the area while intensified efforts were being made to track down those who fled the camps.
“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 latest development comes as the Abia State Police Command continues to rely on intelligence-led operations and coordinated tactical deployments to locate suspected criminal enclaves, particularly in difficult-to-access forested areas.
The command said monitoring of the affected locations would continue, while investigators work to uncover the identities of the deceased and determine the circumstances that led to their deaths.
The discovery of the remains is expected to form a significant part of the ongoing investigation as security agencies intensify efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects and establish the full circumstances 
surrounding the disturbing find.