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

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

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The command’s spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday. She said the operation was conducted under the command’s “Operation No Hideout for Criminal Elements in the State” initiative.

According to Chinaka, personnel from the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anti-Cultism Unit, Intelligence Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad and Isuochi Police Headquarters participated in the operation.

She said the operatives, acting on intelligence, raided suspected criminal camps located in forests around Umuaku, Isuochi, and Nneato, but the suspected criminals fled before the arrival of the police, 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.

The police spokesperson said officers searching the suspected kidnappers’ camps subsequently discovered the human remains, some of which were already decomposed.

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

However, the command stressed that investigations are still ongoing to establish the identities of the deceased and determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The police have not confirmed that all the remains belonged to kidnapping victims.

No arrest has so far been made in connection with the discovery, as the suspected criminals reportedly escaped during the operation. Chinaka said the police were monitoring the area and had intensified efforts to apprehend those on the run.

The command also appealed to residents of Umunneochi and neighbouring communities to provide credible information that could assist security agencies in identifying criminal hideouts and apprehending suspects.