![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 Rivers State Executive Council has cancelled the controversial N134 billion contract awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the renovation and furnishing of the state secretariat. The contract, issued under the six-month interim administration of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), was found to have bypassed due process.
The council, chaired by Governor Siminalayi Fubara at Government House, Port Harcourt, ordered CCECC to refund the N20 billion mobilisation fee it had already received.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Dr Austin Ezekiel-Hart, said the contract and three others were hurriedly approved without proper procedures. He announced that the government had revalidated the bidding process for all four projects, with a fresh call for qualified contractors to submit bids.
The projects include reinforced concrete shoreline protection and reclamation works in riverine communities across Opobo/Nkoro and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local councils, as well as the full renovation of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex.
Meanwhile, the State Executive Council also approved the formation of a committee to develop proposals for new Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centres and ICT Laboratories across the state’s three senatorial districts, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Dr Azibaolanari Uzoma-Nwogu.
In a separate development, Tonye Cole, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, has demanded a public apology and N20 billion in damages from Channels Television.
Cole, through his legal counsel, S.O. Okutepa (SAN) & Co., accused the broadcaster of airing defamatory comments made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, during a September 18 episode of Politics Today.
In the interview, Wike reportedly called Cole a “thief” and accused him of “selling Rivers Gas for $308 million,” alleging the act crippled state finances. Cole’s legal team described the remarks as “false, malicious, and damaging,” arguing that Channels TV gave Wike “unrestricted airtime” and later rebroadcast the interview on YouTube.
The letter, dated October 8, 2025, demands that Channels TV retract the statements, broadcast and publish an apology, remove the programme from all platforms, and pay N20 billion in compensation within 14 days, or face legal action.
![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")
