The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) has demanded the immediate arrest and public prosecution of Muslim cleric Idris Abdulaziz Dusen Tenshi over his comments on First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
The preacher was accused of instigating violence by allegedly asking for the death of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the president’s wife, and labeling her an “infidel” because of her Christian beliefs.
This demand was made at the end of the 2024 National Prayer Day and YOWICAN’s first quarter National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which took place on Friday at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.
Belusochukwu Enwere, Chairman of YOWICAN, issued a communiqué outlining the council’s unified stance and emphasizing the urgent need for government and security authorities to intervene.
The communiqué partly stated, “NEC is calling for the immediate arrest of the Muslim Cleric (Idris Abdulaziz Dusen Tenshi), who has called for the killing of the wife of the President, Sen. Oluremi A. Tinubu, for being a Christian. Describing her as an infidel.
“The NEC is calling for the public prosecution of the cleric and wishes to request that the said preacher be restricted from preaching in Nigeria to serve as a deterrent to others.
“The NEC is giving the Federal Government and security agencies to act immediately to avoid further deterioration of the security situation in the country because of the unguided statement or utterance.”
![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")
