![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")
A High Court in Delta State’s Akwukwu-Igbo Oshimili North Local Government Area has condemned Obinna Eze to death for the murder of Chimaobi Igwe, a six-month-old boy.
On Thursday, Justice Marcel Okoh presided over a court that convicted and sentenced Obinna Eze to death by hanging.
The defendant was charged before the court on a three-count accusation of attempted murder, murder, and causing grievous bodily harm, which are punishable under sections 320, 319, and 335 of Delta State’s Criminal Code Laws.
Mr. Omamuzo Erebe, the State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, headed the prosecution together with other counsel.
“In proof of its case, the prosecution called three witnesses and tendered two exhibits.
“We called PW1, Mrs. Blessing Igwe, the mother of the deceased baby. She told the court that on 27th October 2023, she had a disagreement over a missing phone belonging to the defendant.
“The defendant, who was her co-tenant at Talitha Street, off Okpanam Road, Asaba, attacked her with a cutlass and inflicted several cuts on her and on the head of her six-month-old baby.
“She told the court that she and her son were rushed to the hospital for treatment. The deceased, however, died a week later from the injuries inflicted on him.
“The PW2, Dr. Emmanuel Egbuduka, a pathologist who conducted an autopsy on the body of the deceased, told the court that the cause of death was as a result of three deep penetrating injuries to the head caused by a sharp object such as a cutlass,” the prosecutor said.
In addition, the defendant was led to testify in his defence by his counsel, P.C. Onubah, Esq., and no witnesses were summoned.
Justice Marcel Okoh ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
He said, “The eyewitness evidence of the deceased’s mother, PW1; the evidence of the pathologist, PW2; and the confessional statement of the defendant made to the investigating police officer all established the case of the prosecution beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The court rejected the defendant’s denial in his testimony before the court and his retraction of the confessional statement. The court then sentenced the defendant to death by hanging for the murder of Chimaobi Igwe.”
![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")
