The Abia State Police Command says it 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.
The command’s spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement on Monday following a security operation carried out on Sunday.
She said the operation was conducted under the command’s “Operation No Hideout for Criminal Elements in the State” to flush out suspected criminals operating in the area.
According to her, operatives from the Violent Crime Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anti-Cultism Unit, Intelligence Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad and Isuochi Police Headquarters took part in the operation.
Chinaka said the operatives conducted intelligence-led raids on suspected criminal camps around Umuaku, Isuochi, and another camp in Nneato.
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,” she said.
The police spokesperson said the human remains were discovered while the operatives searched the camps.
“Total of twenty-eight (28) human skulls and bones, which we suspect are kidnap victims, were recovered,” Chinaka said.
She added that some of the remains were decomposed.
According to her, the police suspect the remains may belong to people who were kidnapped and taken into the forest, but investigations are still ongoing to establish their identities and circumstances of death.
No arrest has been made as the suspects reportedly escaped 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 command said the operation was part of its wider efforts to dismantle suspected criminal camps across Abia State.
The police urged residents to provide useful information that could help security agencies track down suspected criminals and prevent further attacks in the state.
