Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for 2023, has urged Nigeria’s Federal Government to wage war on insecurity, stating that no nation can flourish while its residents are under siege.
Obi wrote this on his X account on Monday, in response to reports that over 100 persons were slain in violent attacks across Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, and Edo states over the weekend.
According to Anambra’s previous governor, the assassination of eight Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) workers, the kidnapping of a Chinese national in Edo, and the kidnapping of passengers on the Benin-Iyere-Oluku road constitute an emergency.
“The slaughter of five soldiers and 58 civilians in Borno are not isolated tragedies; these are stark evidence that Nigeria is in the grip of a full-blown security emergency.
“My deepest condolences go to the families of our fallen heroes; their courage reminds us that we still have men and women who are willing to risk everything for our safety.
“Their killers must be swiftly apprehended and brought to justice. Their sacrifices must never be forgotten.
“When over 100 Nigerians are killed in a single weekend, our casualty figures rival those of countries officially at war,” he said.
He stated that it is time to declare a national war on insecurity, mobilize every resource, agency, and state, and halt all distractions while we begin the process of reclaiming our country from lawlessness.
“No nation can prosper while it lives under siege; history shows that insecurity is the quickest path to national collapse. Somalia and Libya stand as painful warnings.
“We must act now, with urgency and courage, to prevent a total descent into anarchy and rebuild Nigeria into a safe, secure, and productive nation for all.”
![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")