The Nigerian Army has deployed troops to Gombe metropolis to enforce the curfew imposed by the State government to stop the violence that erupted on Saturday.
The acting Secretary to the State Government, Mr. James Pisajih, announced the curfew on Saturday because of the breakdown of law and order in the metropolis.
Pisajih said the government ordered the restriction of movement in the state capital after consultations with the heads of security agencies in Gombe.
According to him, the curfew will last from 3 pm on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday while the situation will be reviewed thereafter.
He noted that only those on essential duties with proof would be allowed any form of movement.
Violence broke out in the state capital as the bodies of the slain nine members of the Boys and Girls Brigade in the state were to be buried.
Some members of the brigade and other youths had staged a procession in the metropolis to honour their slain colleagues.
In the process, another group of people intercepted the demonstrators and prevented them from continuing with the procession.
The incident turned violent but was later brought to calm following the intervention of security operatives.
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The members of the Boys and Girls Brigade killed in Gombe State were buried on Saturday with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) conducting the funeral.
Members of the families of the nine victims and sympathisers paid tributes amid tears at the cemetery along the Gombe – Yobe Road.
The deputy governor of the state, Charles Iliya, was also at the event in company with some government officials in the state.
President Muhammadu Buhari had condoled with families and friends of slain members of the Boys and Girls Brigade.
The nine youths were killed in an accident while on a procession to celebrate the Easter in the 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")
