The Police Command in Zamfara confirmed that two councillors and an imam were kidnapped by bandits in Tsauni community, Gusau, on Wednesday night.
DSP Yazid Abubakar, the command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident over the phone.
The councillors represented Gidan Gona and Tsibiri wards in Maradun local government areas of Zamfara, as well as the Imam of the community, were taken away by the suspected bandits.
The Tsauni community is located behind the Federal Road Safety, Zamfara Sector command headquarters in Gusau.
The community had hosted internally displaced persons affected by armed banditry from different communities.
Abubakar, on the other hand, stated that the command had sent soldiers to the area and that efforts to rescue the three victims were still underway.
The PPRO advised citizens to provide the police with pertinent information in a timely manner in order to prevent such incidents.
Meanwhile, the head of Maradun local government, Sanusi Gamagiwa, confirmed the PPRO’s report over the phone, adding that the suspected bandits had abducted six people.
“They later released three persons and left with the two councillors and the Imam of the area.
“So far, they have yet to contact anyone of us to know their demands,” the chairman said.
![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")
