UMUNNEOCHI, Nigeria — Police in Abia State have recovered human skulls and bones believed to belong to at least 28 kidnapping victims from suspected criminal camps in two forests in Umunneochi Local Government Area.
The remains were found in the Umuaku and Nneato forests during a police operation launched after intelligence reports indicated suspected criminal activity in the area, according to the Abia State Police Command.
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, tactical officers entered the forest camps, but the people suspected of operating them fled before they could be arrested.
“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,” Maureen Chinaka, spokesperson for the Abia State Police Command, said in a statement.
Police have not established the identities of the dead or confirmed how they were killed.
Forensic and other investigations are underway to identify the remains and determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths, according to a BBC report.
The police said surveillance had been strengthened around the area as officers searched for those who escaped from the camps.
Wilfred Afolabi, the Abia State commissioner of police, said the operation was part of an continuing effort to identify and dismantle criminal hideouts across the state.
Residents have been asked to report suspicious activity and provide information that could assist investigators.
Authorities are also examining whether the remains are connected to unresolved kidnapping cases in Umunneochi and surrounding communities.
Police have previously recovered decomposing bodies during security operations against suspected kidnappers in the Umunneochi area.
Separate Mass Abductions Reported in Northern Nigeria
The discovery in Abia came during a weekend in which more than 80 people were reported abducted in separate attacks in Niger and Zamfara states.
Nearly 50 farmers were taken by gunmen in Niger State on Sunday, while about 40 women were abducted in neighbouring Zamfara State the same day, according to security reports cited by the BBC.
Those incidents were separate from the investigation in Abia.
Kidnapping for ransom has persisted across several parts of Nigeria, with criminal groups targeting travellers, farmers and residents.
In Abia, investigators have not yet disclosed how long the forest camps had been operating, how many people may have been held there, or whether the recovered remains represent all of the suspected victims associated with the sites.
Police said efforts to identify the dead and locate those who fled the camps were continuing.
