No fewer than nine worshipers were abducted on Sunday by terrorists during a vigil at St. John’s Catholic Church in Ojije, Utonkon District of Ado Local Government Area, Benue State.
According to sources on Monday, the attack occurred around 2 a.m., when the church was holding a vigil as part of a 30-day program.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Ufia Development Association in the LGA, Comrade Jude Onwe told the newsmen that, “Around 2 a.m., nine worshipers, including women and youths, were abducted from St. John’s Catholic Church while they were at the vigil.”
Confirming the abduction, Chairman of Ado LGA, Sunday Oche, lamented that the church failed to involve security operatives despite prior advice.
“That is what we have been battling with. We received the sad news of the abduction, and I have mobilized all the security agencies. We are working seriously,” Oche said.
He called on residents to involve security personnel in night activities, adding that ignoring such warnings puts people at risk. “Our concern is that people refuse to adhere to advice to involve the police whenever a night activity, whether a marriage, burial, or festival, goes past 9 p.m.,” he said.
In his reaction, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said tactical teams had been deployed to the area to rescue the victims. “Security personnel are on the trail of the abductors, and efforts to rescue the worshippers are ongoing,” he added.
The abduction comes barely a week after over 170 Christian worshipers regained freedom after being kidnapped by terrorists in Kaduna 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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")