Remains of more than 28 suspected kidnap victims found in Nigerian forests

Police in Nigeria's south-eastern Abia state have recovered at least 28 human skulls and bones from suspected criminal camps in the Umuaku and Nneato forests. The remains were found on Saturday following a security operation in the Umunneochi area.

Police spokeswoman Maureen Chinaka said the suspects fled as soon as tactical operatives arrived at the camps, which were subsequently dismantled. The raids were launched after intelligence reports pointed to suspected criminal activity in the forests.

Investigators believe the remains may belong to kidnapping victims, though forensic examinations and further inquiries are under way to determine their identities and the circumstances of their deaths. Police have stepped up surveillance in the area as they work to track down those who escaped.

Abia state police commissioner Wilfred Afolabi said the operation forms part of an ongoing campaign to dismantle criminal hideouts across the state. Authorities have appealed to residents to report suspicious activity as efforts continue both to identify the victims and to establish whether the remains are linked to unresolved kidnapping cases in the region. Decomposing bodies tied to suspected kidnapping activity have previously been found during earlier security raids in Umunneochi.

Fresh abductions in the north

Separately over the weekend, more than 80 people, mostly women, were seized in two mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria. On Sunday, gunmen abducted nearly 50 farmers in Niger State, while around 40 other women were kidnapped the same day in neighbouring Zamfara State. Kidnapping for ransom has become a major source of income for criminal groups in northern Nigeria, including bandits and militant Islamist factions.