![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 Anambra State Government, through the state Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare, has ordered an investigation into the alleged murder of Mrs. Ogechukwu Okafor by her husband, pastor Elijah Okafor.
The incident occurred on August 13, 2024, but the deceased family reported it to the ministry after the husband made suspicious gestures.
Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, the media aide to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, made the announcement in a press statement on Wednesday.
According to Ikeanyionwu, the claimed assault occurred in the Nimo community of the state’s Njikoka Local Government Area, where the perpetrator is said to be a pastor.
The statement read in part, “The deceased uncle, Mr. Samuel Onuorah, from Abatete community, who led the family member to lay the complaint at the ministry, alleged that he got a call from her late niece’s husband that her niece, Ogechukwu, fell from a four-story building and died.
“Mr. Elijah Emeka Ibeabuchi, who hails from Nimo in the Njikoka Local Government Area of the Anambra State, is the husband to the late Ogechukwu Okafor.
“Seeking justice at the office of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, the uncle of the deceased, Mr. Onuorah, noted that they discovered that their daughter did not fall as claimed by the husband but was rather killed with a knife, stabbed on her neck and chest by Elijah.
“He further revealed that their doubts were cleared after they went to the mortuary where the said husband had deposited their daughter’s corpse and saw evidently that she didn’t fall from any two-story building as claimed by the husband.”
In response to the development, the commissioner, Ify Obinabo, urged all stakeholders—women’s groups, human rights advocates, and social media users—to join the state government in ensuring that the deceased receive justice.
Obinabo promises that the state administration will investigate the incident and encourages everyone to speak out on the topic.
She also stated that she would tell the state governor and that the incident would be investigated to ensure that the deceased received justice.
![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")
