President Bola Tinubu has appointed Nwakuche Ndidi as the Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The appointment of Ndidi follows the expiration of the tenure of the current CG, Haliru Nababa.
Disclosing this in a statement on Friday, the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Board, Ja’afaru Ahmed, said Ndidi’s appointment takes effect from December 15, 2024.
“The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has graciously approved the appointment of Nwakuche Sylvester Ndidi as Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service following the expiration of the tenure of Haliru Nababa. His appointment takes effect from December 15, 2024.
“Nwakuche, born on November 26, 1966, hails from Oguta in Imo State. Until his appointment, he was the Deputy Controller-General in charge of the Training and Staff Development Directorate. He is a fellow of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and holds the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic.
“The President further enjoined him to bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new capacity.”
The outgoing CG Nababa was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021 after heading many formations, including Officer in-Charge of the Wurno Satellite Custodial Centre, Sokoto State; Nguru Custodial Centre, Yobe State; Mubi Custodial Centre, Adamawa State, and Sokoto Central Custodial Centre, Sokoto State from 2016 to 2019.
![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")
