![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 "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of a military battalion to parts of Kwara State following a deadly attack on Kaiama Local Government Area that left scores of residents dead.
Some of the directives include the appointment of a field commander and the immediate commencement of a military operation tagged Operation Savanna Shield.
This was announced on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga, in a post on his X handle, said the President’s intervention was aimed at providing immediate relief to affected communities and restoring security in the area.
The post read: “Help is on the way for the beleaguered people of Kaiama and others as President Tinubu orders the deployment of a military battalion, the appointment of a commander and the start of Operation Savanna Shield.”
The order comes amid a fresh horror: the massacre of locals who dared to reject the poisonous doctrine of extremists invading their land.
Chronicle NG reports that on Tuesday, a horrific attack on Woro village in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State killed 162 people, making it the state’s bloodiest violent assault this year.
A Red Cross official and local officials confirmed the figure, as residents described horrific mass killings and burning carried out by the attackers.
Babaomo Ayodeji, secretary of the Kwara State chapter of the Red Cross, stated the verified death toll was 162 as of Wednesday afternoon. A local legislator told Reuters that the number may be as high as 170.
Sa’idu Ahmed, a politician from the Kaiama region, told Reuters that the terrorists rounded up villagers, tied their hands behind their backs, and executed them.
He added that homes and shops were also set ablaze during the attack.
“I am in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and searching nearby areas,” Ahmed said.
He revealed that numerous villagers escaped into nearby bushes with gunshot injuries, while multiple residents, including the traditional leader of the village, remained unaccounted for as of Wednesday.
Residents claimed that the assailants were jihadists who had earlier addressed the community, insisting that locals reject loyalty to the Nigerian government in favor of Sharia law.
They report that the shooters started shooting during a sermon when locals opposed their demands.
The initiation of Operation Savanna Shield is anticipated to enhance the federal security presence in the region, stabilize impacted communities, and avert additional assaults, while locals keep grieving the victims of the raid.
Last night, President Tinubu issued a statement in which he “denounced the cowardly and brutal attack, labeling the gunmen as heartless for selecting vulnerable targets in their failed campaign of terror.”
According to the statement made by Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, “President Tinubu expressed rage that the attackers killed the community members who rejected their obnoxious attempt at indoctrination, choosing instead to practice Islam that is neither extreme nor violent.
“It’s commendable that the community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a weird belief that promoted violence over peace and dialogue,” he said.
The President called for cooperation among federal and state agencies to assist community members and guarantee that those responsible for the atrocities face consequences.
Tinubu offered prayers for the soul of the departed and expressed condolences to those bereaved. He also expressed sympathy for the citizens and the administration of Kwara State.
![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")
