![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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
Russian President Vladimir Putin has become one of the last world leaders to congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden on his victory.
The Kremlin had said it would wait for official results from November’s vote before recognising the victory.
The Democrat won November’s contest with 306 electoral college votes to the Republican incumbent’s 232.
Mr Trump still refuses to concede, making unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud.
Confirmation by the electoral college was one of the steps required for Mr Biden to take office.
In a blow to Mr Trump, one of his main Republican allies, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, congratulated Mr Biden on Monday.
Most world leaders congratulated him within days of the 3 November poll, when it was clear he had defeated Mr Trump.
Mr Biden and Mr Putin had frosty relations when the former served as vice-president under Barack Obama.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has also finally congratulated Mr Biden but Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, has still not done so, nor has North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
What did Putin say in his message to Biden?
According to a Kremlin statement, Mr Putin wished Mr Biden every success and said he was “ready for collaboration and contacts with you”.
He “expressed confidence that Russia and the United States, which have a special responsibility for global security and stability, could, despite their differences, really help to solve the many problems and challenges facing the world”, the statement added.
But analysts say the President-elect, who describes Mr Putin as an autocrat, is expected to take a tougher line on Russia than Mr Trump.
Russia has faced accusations of interference in the 2016 US election to help get Mr Trump elected.
While Mr Putin waited nearly a month and a half before congratulating Mr Biden, in 2016 he congratulated Mr Trump on his victory the day after the vote.
What did McConnell say?
Speaking on the Senate floor, Mr McConnell said: “Today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.”
Also congratulating Kamala Harris, he added: “All Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer urged Mr Trump to “end his term with a modicum of grace and dignity”.
“For the sake of our democracy, for the sake of peaceful transition of power, he should stop the shenanigans, stop the misrepresentations and acknowledge that Joe Biden will be our next president,” he said.
It took more than a month, but Mitch McConnell is now acknowledging the obvious – that the former Vice President will be the next US president.
![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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
