THE Abia State Police command has discovered skulls and bones of at least 28 persons, whose identities were yet to be determined, from suspected criminals’ camps in Umuaku and Nneato forests, following a security operation carried out in the Umunneochi area of the state.
Spokesperson of the Command, Maureen Chinaka, said in a statement that the suspects fled upon sighting the Police.
The discovery is likely to revive concerns about kidnapping gangs operating in remote forests across parts of Southeast, where criminal groups have frequently targeted motorists, travellers and residents for ransom.
Chinaka stated that the raids were launched following intelligence reports about suspected criminal activity in the forests.
Officers suspect the remains to be those of kidnapping victims, although forensic and other investigations were ongoing to establish their true identities and circumstances surrounding their deaths.
According to her: “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 (28) human skulls and bones, suspected to be kidnap victims, were recovered.”
She stated that surveillance had been intensified in the area, as officers try to track down the fleeing criminals, quoting the Commissioner of Police (CP), Wilfred Afolabi, as saying that the operation was part of ongoing campaign to dismantle criminal hideouts in the state.
The Police appealled to residents to report suspicious activity and security concerns, even as efforts continue to identify the victims and determine whether the remains were connected to unresolved kidnapping cases in the area.
Authorities have previously discovered decomposing bodies believed to be linked to kidnapping activities during security raids in Umunneochi.
