Eight Charged to Court Over Missing Toddler in Bayelsa Church
By Chris Mark
The Bayelsa State Police Command has charged eight suspects to court in connection with the disappearance of a one-year, ten-month-old child, Amarachi Blessing Ogbonna, from a church premises in the state.
The child was reported missing on June 21, 2026.
The police, in a statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, said the narrative circulating on social media alleging police inactivity does not reflect the true facts of the case.
According to the Command, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, acting on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, took over investigation from the Ekeki Division immediately the case was reported and commenced intensive investigation.
Mohammed disclosed that in the course of investigation, suspects linked to the disappearance were arrested, and that eight of them have been charged to the High Court of Bayelsa State, Yenagoa Judicial Division, in Charge No. BYHC/YHC/CR/81/2026, where they are awaiting arraignment. He added that other persons arrested but whose involvement could not be established have been released on bail.
He explained that the delay in arraigning the suspects was due to the vacation embarked upon by the courts and not police inaction, noting that courts resumed this week and the matter would proceed accordingly.
The Command assured that investigation is still active and that all efforts are being intensified to recover the missing child and reunite her with her family.
The Police urged members of the public to disregard unverified information on social media, especially on sensitive cases involving children, saying such narratives could cause unnecessary tension and mislead the public.
