![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")
A newspaper publisher, Nsibiet John, has been arrested in Akwa Ibom State for allegedly publishing defamatory materials against the deputy governor of the state, Moses Ekpo.
The Chairman, League of Newspaper Publishers in the state, Ernest Akpan, revealed that Mr. John who publishes a local newspaper, The Ink, was arrested on Thursday morning by police detectives from the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia.
Mr. Akpan, in a press statement, alleged that the publisher was arrested on the orders of the state deputy governor, Mr. Ekpo.
He said the arrest was “shocking, unacceptable, and unfortunate.”
Mr. Akpan said the deputy governor did not explore “other channels of conflict-resolution” before lodging a complaint with the police against the publisher.
He added that the press in the state would continue to function as a watchdog of the society, no matter the situation.
“A situation where journalists are treated as enemies or prisoners of war and game to be preyed on, during the discharge of their duties, is unacceptable to the League,” Mr. Akpan said.
He called on the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, to step into the matter and ensure that the detained publisher was release.
“We wish to state unequivocally here that failure to secure his release will attract very unpleasant consequences.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, Patrick Albert, led a delegation of the union and some journalists in the state to the police headquarters, where he met with the Commissioner of Police, Murtala Mani, over the issue.
“They are yet to tell us what offence they say he committed,” Mr. Albert told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone, Thursday evening. “But we have the assurance of the police commissioner that he will be released today.”
By 4p.m., the publisher was still not released. The NUJ chairman and other journalists were still hanging around at the police headquarters.
When contacted the deputy governor’s spokesman, Ekikere Umoh, he declined to comment on the issue which he said was purely a “police matter”.
The Police spokesperson in the state, Cordelia Nwawe, did not respond to calls and text message from our reporter.
Source: Premium Times
![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")
