Police recover 28 human skulls, bones from Abia forest

The Abia State Police Command says it has recovered 28 human skulls and other human bones from forests in the Isuochi and Nneato communities of 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.

BBC reported on Monday, according to Chinaka, the operation was carried out under the command’s “Operation No Hideout for Criminal Elements in the State
” aimed at flushing out suspected criminals from the state.

She said the operation involved the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anti-Cultism Unit, Intelligence Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad and Isuochi Police Headquarters.

Chinaka said the operatives conducted intelligence-led raids on suspected criminal camps in forests around Umuaku, Isuochi, and another camp at Nneato, also in Isuochi.

She said the suspected criminals fled when the police arrived, 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.

She said the remains were discovered while the operatives searched the suspected kidnappers’ camps.

“Total of twenty-eight (28) human skulls and bones, which we suspect are kidnap victims, were recovered,” she said.

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The police spokesperson said some of the remains were decomposed.

She added that the command suspected the remains belonged to people who had been kidnapped and taken into the forest, but said investigations were ongoing.

No arrest has been made in connection with the discovery as the suspects 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 police said the operation formed part of its wider efforts to dismantle suspected criminal camps in the state.

The Umunneochi area has previously featured in security operations targeting suspected kidnappers, with authorities in previous operations reporting the recovery of decomposing human remains in parts of the local government area.

The Abia State Police Command urged residents to report information that could assist security agencies in tackling criminal activities in the state.