![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 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday appointed Adolphus Wabara, a former Senate President, as substantive Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees.
Wabara has been the interim PDP BoT Chairman since 2022, following the departure of Walid Jibrin, who previously held the position.
On Tuesday, the party also appointed Ahmed Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State, as BoT Secretary, replacing Kabir Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties.
Wabara announced the choices to press in Abuja on Tuesday, following the conclusion of the 76th BoT meeting at Wadata Plaza.
He said the opposition party took the decisions “in a bid to further strengthen itself.”
He also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of attempting to transform Nigeria into a one-party state, stating that PDP stakeholders must band together and never allow this to happen.
This came as the PDP lamented the country’s hardship, claiming that the party needed to band together in order to save the country from the APC’s alleged mismanagement.
Wabara said, “Our role as members of the Board of Trustees, the main organ of this party, is to ensure that this party does not die. If the PDP goes under, democracy will also suffer in Nigeria. We know that there are plans to turn this country into a one-party state, but that will only happen if we allow it. So, we must fight for democracy in Nigeria, and it is only the PDP that can do that.
“Here, we follow due process democratically. I want to urge all of you, especially the NWC, to do everything to bring this party back on track. There are many issues, and it is time for us to address them. Where necessary, we should forgive and forget, and where necessary, take appropriate actions.
“Some people blame us for not taking disciplinary action promptly, and of course, that has always been the challenge of the party. We sometimes consider people’s faces before taking action. But some of us, especially in the BOT, are always objective. Anything that goes against our constitution will create problems; therefore, we should strictly abide by our constitution.”
Speaking on the state of the nation, Wabara said the PDP BoT was alarmed “by the worsening insecurity in the country as evident in the rising cases of mass killings, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and acts of terrorism by assailants who are emboldened by the manifest laid-back attitude of the APC administration to issues of security, especially in the last nine months.”
He said, “The BoT is appalled by the monumental corruption and unbridled treasury looting in the APC administration, especially the looting of billions of naira meant for palliatives for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
“The BoT is seriously worried over the fall of the naira to an abysmal N1,500 to the dollar and the incessant increase in the pump price of fuel, which now sells for over N700 per litre with long queues in various parts of the country.
“These have attendant negative consequences, as evident in the nearly 30 percent inflation rate, 41 percent unemployment rate, and alarming 46 percent poverty rate, where up to 130 million citizens have sunk deeper into multi-dimensional poverty in the last nine months.
“The BoT is disturbed that the catastrophic economic and security situation in the country has left Nigerians hopeless, despondent, and angry and constitutes a present and immediate threat to the survival of the country as hard-working young Nigerians, professionals in critical fields, and major multinational companies are now leaving our nation in droves.”
The opposition party urged President Bola Tinubu to “immediately address the issues of corruption in his administration, worsening insecurity in the country, a continuous fall in the value of the naira, a high fuel price, unbearable food scarcity, and unemployment in the country.”
Wabara insisted that the PDP remained united, stronger, and more committed in its commitment to working for Nigerians’ well-being and protecting their interests.
“In this regard, the BoT, as the conscience of the party, charges all organs, leaders, critical stakeholders, and members of the PDP across the country to remain united and focused as the party further repositions for the task ahead.”
Bala Mohammed, Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, has called for party unity so that Nigeria does not become a one-party state.
Mohammed said, “We are working very hard behind the scenes. Some of the strategies have been revealed by the BOT Chairman himself. We need to be strategic to prevent this country from becoming a one-party state and ensure that we all emerge victorious.
“The governors are determined to reposition the party and minimise the rancour and division that characterised the PDP in the past due to the party’s size and our diverse interests. We certainly don’t have the luxury to indulge in that.”
Mohammed stated that, with the hardship in the land, Nigerians were looking up to the PDP to come to their rescue.
He said, “The country is suffering. There is a lot of hunger and anger in Nigeria. For the third time, the country is looking up to us. We cannot continue to be the weeping boys or girls. We must close ranks, give the benefit of the doubt to each other, and give the benefit of the doubt to the party.“ Reconciliation must take place. Most people have their groups here and there, but certainly, it is not the time for that.
“I am here to let you know that the governors are with you. We are ready to provide an alternative for Nigerians. There appears to be no good governance in the country, and as we said yesterday, we will provide a vibrant opposition to the current administration so that, at the end of the day, we are not going to do it out of sentiments; we’ll do it with insight and knowledge.”
On his part, Umar Damagum, the PDP’s acting national chairman, stated that now is the greatest moment to rebuild and refocus the party.
He said, “Now that all 2023 election petitions are resolved, there is no better time to begin rebuilding the party than now.
“I also want to remind our BoT members that the task of rebuilding this party extends beyond the NWC. We are all stakeholders, and wherever you find yourself, you don’t have to wait for the NWC to speak up to protect the party; it is a collective responsibility.”
Former governors Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna State), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun State), Sule Lamido (Jigawa State), Attahiru Bafarawa, and Kabiru Turaki, former Minister of Special Duties and Secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees, were in attendance.
![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")
