The Imo command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Friday, handed over a prison escapee, rearrested by the corps, to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS).
The state commandant of NSCDC, Matthew Ovye, handed over the 28-year-old suspect shortly after parading him and one other in Owerri.
Ovye said that the suspect, Chinonso Kalu, was arrested by his men on duty at the Hero Square, Owerri, on June 6.
He said that Kalu was caught after he was seen jumping a fence shortly after allegedly robbing unsuspecting passersby of their valuables.
“In the course of our investigation, it was discovered that the suspect was one of the prisoners who took advantage of the April 5, 2021 jailbreak in Owerri to escape from the facility.
“We are, therefore, handing him over to the NCoS for reabsorption in the facility and other necessary actions,“ he said.
An inspector of corrections, Casmir Obiozor, who received the escapee on behalf of NCoS, said he would be officially documented before other appropriate actions.
The state NSCDC boss further spoke on the arrest of the second suspect, 31-year-old Israel Akinregbide.
He said that Akinregbide was arrested in the same complex as Kalu on May 12, shortly after some young men jumped into the premises of the office of the secretary to the state government.
He said that the suspect would be prosecuted accordingly.
Ovye thanked other security agencies in the state for their continued synergy and pledged the NSCDC’s commitment to the protection of critical government infrastructure in line with their mandate.
He also thanked Gov. Hope Uzodinma for his continued support of the corps.
He advised residents of the state not to stay out late at night, especially in lonesome environments, to avoid falling victim to criminals.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
