![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-300x200.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
Record rainfall has caused floods and landslides in parts of Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture, killing six people and leaving ten missing.
The cities of Wajima and Suzu, which are still recovering from a deadly earthquake that devastated the area on January 1, have been among the hardest hit by the deluge, which began on Saturday and lasted until noon local time (03:00 GMT) on Monday.
According to local media, both cities received twice as much rain on Sunday as they do on average in September.
According to reports, dozens of rivers overflowed, cutting off roads and isolating more than 100 communities throughout the prefecture.
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Two of the people who died were found near a landslide-hit tunnel in Wajima. One of them was a construction worker carrying out road repairs.
Two elderly men and an elderly woman were among the other fatalities, the Japan Times said citing local authorities.
Japan’s meteorological agency issued the highest “life-threatening” alert level for Ishikawa on Saturday before downgrading it to a regular warning on Sunday. Authorities have called for continued vigilance, as the torrential rain is expected to last until at least noon on Monday.
Floodwaters inundated temporary housing built for those who lost their homes in the New Year’s Day earthquake. NHK footage showed an entire street in Wajima submerged in water.
The region is still recovering from January’s powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which killed at least 236 people, destroyed buildings, and started a major fire.
The Hokuriku Electric Power Company reported that approximately 4,000 households were without power on Monday.
More than 40,000 residents across four cities in Ishikawa – including Wajima, Suzu and the town of Noto – have been evacuated over the weekend.
Another 16,000 residents in the Niigata and Yamagata prefectures north of Ishikawa were also told to evacuate.
