On Friday, the former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, paid a courtesy visit to the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, where he said the latter did not deserve to be in detention.
Kalu, who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, posted on his Facebook page a picture he had taken with Kanu during his visit to Kuje Prison .
In the post, Kalu said, “Today, I visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Kuje Prison and we engaged in a very long discussion. Kanu is my brother and a son of the soil. He shouldn’t be where he is because Kuje Prison is not his home. It is therefore my utmost concern to see him regain his freedom like every other Nigerian.”
However, Kalu’s visit has stirred several comments on his Facebook page, while some applaud his visit, some rejected it totally.
One Daniel Elemi Ikpete stressed that “hope he didn’t go there to gather information that he will send to Buhari to be use against Nnamdi Kanu since he is in APC team now. I no longer trust that man called orji kalu again, Anyway knowing who Nnamdi Kanu is, he won’t give him such information even if orji request for it.”
Also condemning Kalu’s visit was Adibe Idowu, who strssed that “Nothing good comes out of APC so for the fact that you’re an APC member I don’t think you have any good that will be in the interest of Biafra.”
However, Jude Ekwedike commended Kalu, urging him to secure the release of the IPOB leader.
“Great. Do everything possible to secure his release. If we truly have freedom of speech and freedom of expression in Nigeria, he did not commit any crime. I can’t understand why Boko Haram terrorists, who killed thousands of people, are being released from jail while a man who has hurt no one but merely expressed himself, is being tried for treason. The only reason I can come up with is that he is Ibo. It is sad.”
![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")
