The Abia State Police Command recovered 28 human skulls and bones from two suspected criminal camps in the Umuaku and Nneato forests in Isuochi, Umunneochi Local Government Area, the command said.
The recovery followed intelligence-led raids carried out on Saturday by multiple units of the command. The operation involved the Violent Crime Response Unit, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Anti-Cultism Unit, the Intelligence Response Unit or Squad, the Rapid Response Squad and officers from Isuochi Divisional Police Station, the police said.
“Upon arrival of the command’s tactical operatives at the camps, the suspects fled. The criminal camps were subsequently dismantled,” the police press release said.
The discovery of the remains was reported in a statement provided to the media by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka. The police described the recovered skulls and bones as “suspected to be those of kidnapping victims.”
The Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, has ordered that investigations continue and that efforts be intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspects, the statement added. The command said monitoring of the area will continue.
The raids were conducted under an operation the command described as “Operation No Hideout for Criminal Elements in the State,” the press release said. Police urged residents to report suspicious activity and to cooperate with security agencies by contacting the nearest police station.
Both Channels Television and Daily Post published the police statement and the details of the operation. The police gave no further information on the identities of the victims or suspects, and said forensic examinations and investigations are ongoing.
Authorities also said the occupants of the camps fled on sighting security personnel. Police forces subsequently dismantled the camps and recovered the remains. The command urged the public to provide information that could help trace and arrest those responsible.
Leave a comment