![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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
Nasir El-Rufai, a former Kaduna State governor, has clarified his position on administration, stating that he does not belong to the class of politicians who pretend.
The former Kaduna governor compared public officeholders to Nollywood actors.
This comes only a few days after the former governor and ruling All Progressives Congress chieftain stated that if he were still in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, his views on the administration would remain intact.
On Friday, one X user, Ira Habib, using the hashtag #irahabib, praised the APC chieftain.
He recalled that after reading a book written by El-Rufai, he concluded that the ex-governor was no pretender and that any politician who includes El-Rufai in his cabinet genuinely wants Nigeria to prosper.
“The day I read El-Rufai’s book titled ‘Accidental Public Servant,’ I concluded that no politician would want #elrufai in their cabinet unless they genuinely intend to develop this country. He doesn’t know how to pretend,” #irahabib tweeted.
Reacting to this, the APC chieftain appreciated the tweet for his commendation.
He also cemented his stance on true governance, tweeting, “Truly, I don’t know how to pretend. Being a Nollywood actor in governance is for some others, not some of us.”
In another tweet, El-Rufai quoted a statement by a former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, which stated a difference between opposition and governance.
“In opposition, it matters what you say. In government, it matters what you do. And saying is a lot easier than doing,” the tweet read.
El-Rufai made the news recently after he bemoaned the lack of internal democracy and active party structures within the party.
“I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” he stated.
This comment drew a reaction from the presidency, with Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications. Daniel Bwala, urging El-Rufai to disembark from his “vengeance mission.”
Bwala bemoaned El-Rufai’s comment as unpatriotic, adding that this act makes him attractive to the opposition.
“They are not borne out of patriotism but need for vengeance. The opposition sees that singular element of vengeance as a veritable tool for your recruitment.
“I still think you don’t need all these melodramatic activities or a vengeance mission. Come back and resolve whatever you think are your grievances like the dignified man that you are,” Bwala tweeted via his X handle on Thursday.
![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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
