Police in Nigeria’s southeastern Abia State have recovered the skulls and bones of at least 28 people from suspected criminal camps in remote forests, in a discovery that has heightened concerns about kidnapping gangs operating in the region.
The remains were found on Saturday during a security operation in the Umuaku and Nneato forests in the Umunneochi area. Officers acted on intelligence reports of criminal activity in the forests. When tactical teams arrived at the camps, the suspects fled into the surrounding bush. The camps were subsequently dismantled.
Police spokeswoman Maureen Chinaka said in a statement: “Upon arrival of the Command’s tactical operatives at the camps, the suspects fled. The criminal camps were subsequently dismantled. A total of twenty-eight human skulls and bones, suspected to be kidnap victims, were recovered.”
Authorities believe the remains belong to people who were kidnapped, though forensic examinations and further investigations are continuing to establish the identities of the dead and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. It is not yet clear when the victims were killed.
Abia State Police Commissioner Wilfred Afolabi described the operation as part of a sustained campaign to locate and shut down criminal hideouts across the state. Surveillance in the area has been intensified, and efforts are under way to track down those who escaped. Residents have been urged to report any suspicious activity.
The discovery is expected to revive concerns about kidnapping gangs that use remote forest areas in parts of southeastern Nigeria as bases. These groups have frequently targeted motorists, travellers and local residents for ransom. Similar finds of decomposing bodies linked to kidnapping have been made during previous security raids in the Umunneochi area.
Kidnapping for ransom remains a major security challenge across Nigeria. Vast forests and sparsely governed areas provide cover for criminal networks. While the problem is most severe in the north and centre of the country, organised crime and other armed groups also operate in the southeast.
The Abia discovery came as more than 80 people, mostly women and farmers, were reported abducted in two separate weekend attacks in northern Nigeria—one in Niger State and another in neighbouring Zamfara State.
Investigations into the remains recovered in Abia State continue.
