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Police in southeastern Nigeria have recovered the skulls and bones of at least 28 people from suspected criminal camps in forests in Abia State, according to the Abia State Police Command.
The remains were found on Saturday in the Umuaku and Nneato forests during a security operation in the Umunneochi area. Police spokeswoman Maureen Chinaka said suspects fled when officers arrived.
Police investigate identities of remains
Authorities said the remains are suspected to belong to kidnapping victims, but forensic and other investigations are continuing to establish their identities and the circumstances of their deaths.
“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,” Chinaka said in a statement.
The raids followed intelligence reports about alleged criminal activity in the forests. Police said surveillance had been intensified as officers sought to track down those who escaped.
Abia State Police Commissioner Wilfred Afolabi said the operation was part of an ongoing campaign to dismantle criminal hideouts. Residents were urged to report suspicious activity and security concerns.
Kidnapping concerns in southeastern Nigeria
The discovery is expected to renew concerns about kidnapping gangs operating in remote forests across southeastern Nigeria. Criminal groups in the region have frequently targeted motorists, travellers and residents for ransom.
Authorities have previously found decomposing bodies believed to be linked to kidnapping activities during security raids in Umunneochi. Police are also examining whether the newly recovered remains are connected to unresolved kidnapping cases.
More than 80 people abducted in northern Nigeria
Separately, more than 80 people, mostly women, were abducted in mass kidnappings in two northern states over the weekend.
Nearly 50 farmers were seized by gunmen in Niger State on Sunday, while about 40 women were kidnapped in neighbouring Zamfara State, according to two security reports seen by AFP and a local source.
Abductions for ransom have become a major source of income for criminal groups, including bandits and militant Islamists, in northern Nigeria.
