![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 Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has sharply criticised Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi for claiming that Christians in the Middle Belt are “burying empty coffins” to fabricate a narrative of genocide.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr Sylvanus Ukafia, the PFN described Gumi’s allegation as baseless, inflammatory and easily disproved.
Ukafia said the idea that communities are staging funerals without real victims is “illogical and deeply insulting,” noting that burials across Nigeria—Christian, Muslim or traditional—are rooted in identity, family and communal rites.
He argued that no culture in the country practices burying empty coffins, and that such a claim collapses under scrutiny.
“Funerals are public events with real names, real histories and real families,” he said. “The notion that entire villages could organise fake burials without a single witness speaking out is absurd.”
The PFN spokesperson stressed that Nigeria has thousands of genuine victims of terrorism and banditry, all documented by humanitarian organisations, the media, international monitors and even satellite imagery. “There is no need to invent casualties,” he added.
Ukafia accused Gumi of spreading propaganda that trivialises real loss, fuels division and distracts from the ongoing violence affecting communities across the country.
He linked the cleric’s comments to a “disturbing pattern” of downplaying attacks on Christians, noting that the allegation appears timed to counter growing international concern, including recent criticism from US lawmakers.
“To suggest that grieving communities are staging funerals is insensitive, irresponsible and morally reprehensible,” Ukafia said. “If such mass staging occurred, who dug the graves? Who carried the coffins? Who filmed the events? Gumi has presented no evidence whatsoever.”
The controversy follows remarks by former US President Donald Trump, who alleged that Christians are being killed in large numbers in Nigeria and warned that the U.S. could be forced to act if the Nigerian government fails to respond.
Trump also placed Nigeria on the list of Countries of Particular Concern and threatened to halt aid, while alerting the US Department of War to possible action against terrorist groups.
The Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has repeatedly denied that a Christian genocide is taking place, insisting that terrorist attacks are indiscriminate and that Muslim communities have suffered even higher casualties.
The PFN urged public figures to be guided by truth and compassion, especially on matters involving human lives and national security.
![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")
