The Christian Association Of Nigeria (CAN) has raised an alarm over the assassination of clergymen for no just course in Taraba State by yet to be identified assailants.
Chairman of the association Jirapye Magaji raised the alarm following the dastard murder of a clergyman under the auspices of the Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria in Baissa, the headquarters of Kurmi local government area on Monday.
”With a heart filled with grief, I stand to address you this moment on the unfortunate brutal killing of the CRC-N regional church council Baissa chairman, Rev. Timothy Damisa on the 12th of July 2021 at his residence in Baissa, the headquarters of Kurmi LGA.
”The dastard assassination of the clergyman is a great shock to the entire denomination because it came at the time that this vibrant pastor was contributing enormously to the spiritual and physical transformation of the church ”
”Accordingly, the church is worried by the new trend where criminals or sponsored assassins have made ministers of the gospel their targets as this has been the third of its kind in recent times within the denomination alone,” the CAN Chairman stated.
Magaji called on the government and security agencies to swing into action to unravel the syndicates perpetrating such heinous crime and their sponsors.
”We, therefore, call on government at all levels and the intelligence agencies to swing into action to uncover the syndicates perpetrating these vices and their sponsors in society and bring them to book.
”This will serve as a deterrent to others, as allowing crime to thrive will make perpetrators consider it a lucrative business and others would be attracted to join them.
” We advise the church to continue to pray for God to expose the perpetrators and sponsors of the dastardly act ”.
While urging clergymen in the state to be security conscious, Magaji added that this is the third time ministers of the gospel are made targets, a situation he described as one too many, one which should not be allowed to degenerate.
”We also urge members to desist from peddling unfounded rumours concerning the incident as that is capable of bringing division in the church.
”The church advises the youth in society to embrace legitimate ventures to earn their living, instead of availing themselves as instruments of satan for destruction, as the consequence will not only be on them but will spill over to their future generations.
”For the deceased, his contributions to the church has been enormous as evident in the legacy he left in Abuja, Jos and lately Baissa, where he served as pastor, RCC chairman, ” the cleric stated.
He condoled with the immediate family, friends, well-wishers, and the entire denomination and the body of Christ over the unfortunate incident; and prayed that God would grant the deceased eternal rest.
![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")
