![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")
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, has raised the alarm over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, warning that the scale and frequency of killings in the country are unmatched anywhere in the world.
Speaking in Yola, Adamawa State, at the launch of a new book on Governor Ahmadu Fintiri titled The Man They Could Not Stop, Kukah said Nigeria has reached a dangerous point where deaths have become routine and increasingly framed along religious lines.
According to the cleric, no other country experiences the kind of recurring bloodshed now common in Nigeria.
“What is happening in Nigeria cannot happen in Sudan, Cameroon, Niger, Ghana or any other country in the world,” Kukah said. “Only here do we wake up to reports of 10 people killed on Monday, 50 on Tuesday, 100 on Wednesday every single week.”
Kukah expressed concern that religious identity is increasingly attached to death tolls, a trend he blamed partly on Western media reporting.
“Only in Nigeria do people die as Christians and Muslims. The Western media fuels it, 20 Christians killed, 30 Muslims killed,” he said.
He urged political and religious leaders to move beyond rhetoric and focus on building strong institutions capable of uniting Nigerians and restoring peace.
The bishop also praised former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for his role in stabilising the 2023 Adamawa governorship crisis, describing the intervention as crucial to preserving democracy.
At the event, former Senate President Bukola Saraki called on Nigerians to prioritise leadership competence over party loyalty.
“Nigeria can only move forward when the right people are allowed to lead,” Saraki said, pointing to Fintiri’s infrastructure projects as evidence of readiness for higher responsibility.
Chairman of the occasion and Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, used the platform to openly court Fintiri to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party’s political expansion had reached Adamawa.
“If I had the APC cap and flag here today, I would hand them to you,” Sule said.
Responding, Governor Fintiri described himself as a “man of destiny”, reflecting on the turbulence surrounding the 2023 elections.
He accused unnamed political actors of betrayal and moral compromise, saying the election exposed a group of opportunists who continue to threaten Nigeria’s democracy.
“We must resist them with our votes and unmask them to the world,” Fintiri declared.
The book launch drew a strong political turnout, including governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, and representatives from Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Taraba and Plateau States.
![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")
