![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 General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has recounted his personal journey as evidence that God can change anyone, regardless of their past.
Speaking on Saturday during the fifth day of the Holy Ghost Congress 2025 at Redemption City along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Adeboye, 83, admitted he is “not proud” of his early life. The week-long programme is themed “God of all Flesh.”
Addressing a congregation that included traditional rulers, the cleric reflected on the doubts surrounding his spiritual transformation. “Do you think there is anybody in your family who is too far gone that God cannot save his soul? Do you think there is anybody that God cannot turn into a great vessel unto honour? I don’t have time to give you several examples, but the man talking to you right now, many people never thought I could be saved. Even if I was saved at all, they never thought I could be a pastor. You don’t know who is in front of you. I’m not proud of my past; if one can be bad, I was bad,” he said.
Adeboye recounted personal encounters that stressed the contrast between his past and present. He spoke of a former girlfriend who visited seeking a pastor and was astonished when he revealed he held the role.
“She said, ‘You, a pastor? You mean you will pray and God will answer?’” he recalled. Similarly, a former university classmate expressed surprise upon seeing his transformation, noting, “‘You, na wa ooo.’ I said, ‘Me too, I’m surprised.’ We didn’t say more than that because her son was in the room with us,” Adeboye said.
The cleric also shared an episode from his childhood, when he intervened in a family conflict involving his uncle and aunt.
“On one occasion, my uncle’s wife mistreated me badly. As small as I was then, I told her I would get you out of this house, and I did. Thank God we met again after I became the general overseer; we have reconciled, and all her children are now pastors in the church here,” he said.
Emphasising the theme of redemption, Adeboye urged believers not to judge others based on their history or current circumstances. “There is nobody God cannot save,” he said, reinforcing the message that no life is too broken for transformation through faith.
![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")
