Abia Police Recover 28 Human Skulls, Bones From Forest Camps

Twenty-eight human skulls and other human bones have been recovered from forests in the Isuochi and Nneato communities of Umunneochi Local Government Area in Abia State. The police command's spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, announced the recovery in a statement after a security operation carried out on Sunday, September 27, 2026. Chinaka 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. She said the operatives carried out intelligence-led raids on suspected criminal camps in forests around Umuaku, Isuochi, and another camp at Nneato, also in Isuochi. When the command's tactical operatives arrived at the camps, the suspects fled, Chinaka said. "The criminal camps were subsequently scattered," she said. Chinaka said the remains were found 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. 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. Chinaka also said no arrest has been made in connection with the discovery, as the suspects reportedly fled before the police arrived.