Remains of dozens of suspected kidnap victims found in Nigerian forests

ByChris Ewokor, Reporting fromAbuja and Olivia Ireland.

Key points

• According to Abia State Police Command, the raids were introduced after intelligence reports regarding suspected criminal activity in the forests.
• In an attack on Sunday, almost 50 farmers were abducted by gunmen in Niger State.
• The skulls and bones of at least 28 individuals have been recovered from suspected criminal camps in Nigerian forests.
• On Sunday, regarding 40 other women were kidnapped in the neighbouring state of Zamfara, according to two security reports seen by AFP and a local source.
• Abia state police commissioner Wilfred Afolabi remarked the operation was part of an ongoing campaign to dismantle criminal hideouts in the state.

For context, the skulls and bones of at least 28 individuals have been recovered from suspected criminal camps in Nigerian forests.

Police in the southeastern state of Abia are investigating the identities of the remains discovered in the Umuaku and Nneato forests on Saturday after a security operation was carried out in the Umunneochi area. Police spokeswoman Maureen Chinaka remarked the suspects fled when police arrived.

Notably, the discovery is projected to revive worries regarding kidnapping gangs operating in remote forests throughout parts of southeastern Nigeria, where criminal groups have frequently targeted motorists, travellers and residents for ransom.

Although forensic and other investigations are ongoing to establish their identities and the circumstances surrounding their deaths, officers suspect the remains belong to kidnapping victims.

"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 remarked in an official note.

Police remarked surveillance had been intensified in the area as officers sought to track down those who fled.

Police have appealed to residents to report suspicious activity and security reservations as efforts continue to identify the victims and determine whether the remains are connected to unresolved kidnapping cases in the region.

Authorities have previously discovered decomposing bodies believed to be linked to kidnapping activities during security raids in Umunneochi.

Separately over the weekend, more than 80 individuals, mostly women, were seized in separate mass kidnappings in two states in the country's north.

Abductions for ransom have become a key source of income for criminals, including bandits and militant Islamists, in northern Nigeria.

In short, remains of dozens of suspected kidnap victims found in Nigerian forests is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.