Reverend Father Stephen Echezona, who had been abducted by gunmen at a petrol station in Ichida, Anaocha Local Government Area, has been freed by the Anambra State Police Command.
The assailants, driving a white Lexus SUV with no plate number, seized the priest in his vehicle after abandoning theirs amid a gunfight with security personnel who rushed to the incident.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the victim was rescued in the early hours of March 23, 2025, by a joint security team comprised of the police, military, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and local vigilante groups from Ichida and Ihiala.
“In the early hours of today, March 23, 2025, a Joint Security team comprising the Police, Military, Civil Defence, AVG Ichida, and Ihiala respectively secured the release of Rev. Father Stephen Echezona at Ihiala. The priest was returned unharmed,” Ikenga said.
Furthermore, he stated that the kidnappers abandoned their Lexus SUV in an attempt to escape after a gun battle with security forces.
“The victim was abducted at a fuel station in Ichida where a joint security force engaged the armed criminals in a gun duel.
“The assailants abandoned the white Lexus and, in a bid to flee the scene due to the superior firepower of the Joint Security Team, held the Rev. Father hostage.
“The operatives also recovered the white Lexus vehicle,” he further stated.
The police PRO also explained that a coordinated chase led to multiple security checkpoints being alerted, forcing the kidnappers to abandon the priest in Ihiala and escape through a nearby bush.
“In a coordinated hot chase by the operatives, different security checkpoints and security operatives in the state were alerted, which resulted in the criminals abandoning the priest at Ihiala and escaping through a nearby bush.
“The joint security team has taken over the scene in Ihiala for the possible arrest of the armed criminals and recovery of the Toyota Highlander belonging to the Rev. Father.
“Further developments would be communicated, please,” Ikenga added.
![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")