Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has nominated Michael Nzekwe as Chief of Staff.
In addition, he appointed Zonal Directors for each of the commission’s 14 Zonal Commands.
Nzekwe, a lawyer and former Commander of the anti-graft agency’s Ilorin Zonal Command, was hailed as a “topnotch investigator” in a statement issued on Saturday by the Commission’s Head of Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
He has worked in several areas of the Commission, including Legal and Prosecution, Operations (now Investigations), Internal Affairs (now Ethics and Integrity), Servicom, and Asset Forfeiture.
“A seasoned administrator, he has attended several trainings and courses home and abroad, including the Advance Defence Intelligence Officers Course organised by the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA. The appointment takes immediate effect, and he has assumed duties,” Oyewale said.
Meanwhile, according to the statement, Olukoyede, in restructuring and repositioning the EFCC, elevated all of the Commission’s zonal commands to the level of departments, each led by a director.
To that end, 14 new directors have been selected to lead each of the zonal commands. In addition, to strengthen and fortify the Commission’s security architecture, the EFCC’s Security Unit has been promoted to a department, with a seasoned officer appointed as Director, Security, and Chief Security Officer.
A new department has also been established in the Executive Chairman’s office, led by Friday Ebelo, the former Makurdi Zonal Commander of the EFCC, who also serves as Director and Coordinator, Special Duties at the Commission’s corporate headquarters.
The old Department of Internal Affairs has been renamed the Department of Ethics and Integrity, and minor reorganisations have occurred in various departments at the headquarters.
![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")
