Police Raid Abia Kidnap Camps, Recover 28 Human Skulls And Bones

The Abia State Police Command says it has recovered 28 human skulls and other human bones from suspected criminal camps in forest areas around Isuochi and Nneato communities in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state.

The discovery was made during an intelligence-led operation conducted on September 27, 2026, as part of the command’s ongoing efforts to dismantle suspected criminal hideouts across the state.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the operation was carried out under the police command’s “Operation No Hideout for Criminal Elements in the State” and involved personnel from the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anti-Cultism Unit, Intelligence Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad and Isuochi Police Headquarters.

The command’s spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, said the operatives, acting on intelligence, raided suspected criminal camps located in forests around Umuaku in Isuochi and another camp in Nneato.

According to Chinaka, the occupants of the camps fled when they sighted the police, leaving the locations deserted.

“Upon arrival of the Command tactical operatives at the camps, the suspects ran. The criminal camps were subsequently scattered,” she said.

The police said the human remains were discovered during a search of the suspected kidnappers’ camps. Chinaka said a total of 28 human skulls and other bones were recovered and that the command suspected they could be the remains of people who had been kidnapped and taken into the forest.

Some of the recovered remains were reportedly already decomposed. However, the police stressed that investigations were still ongoing to establish the identities of the deceased and determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

No arrest has been made in connection with the discovery, as the suspected occupants of the camps reportedly escaped before the arrival of the police.

Chinaka said the command was continuing to monitor the area while intensifying efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

“Investigation is ongoing, while monitoring of the area continues, and efforts are high to catch the suspects who are on the run,” she 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 formed part of its broader security efforts to dismantle criminal camps and combat kidnapping and other forms of criminal activity in Abia State.

The Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, also called on residents to provide useful information that could assist the authorities in locating suspected criminals and preventing further attacks across the state.