Police charge eight suspects over missing Bayelsa toddler

Eight suspects have been charged to court over the disappearance of Amarachi Blessing Ogbonna, a one-year-and-10-month-old girl who went missing from a church premises in Bayelsa State.

The child reportedly disappeared on June 21, 2026. Police said the case was later moved from the Ekeki Division to the Violent Crime Response Unit on the instruction of the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police.

The command said investigators identified and arrested suspects allegedly linked to the child’s disappearance. The eight suspects were charged before the High Court of Bayelsa State, Yenagoa Judicial Division, in charge number BYHC/YHC/CR./81/2026.

Police said other people whose involvement was not established were released on bail. The command also pushed back against online claims that it had failed to act on the case, saying the delay in arraignment was caused by the court vacation.

Proceedings are expected to continue after the courts resumed this week. Police said the investigation remains active and that officers are still pursuing leads to find the child and reunite her with her family.

The case has drawn public attention in Bayelsa because of the child’s age, the church setting and the length of time since she went missing. The latest police update does not say that the child has been found.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard