On Saturday, the Headquarters of the In¬dependent National Elec¬toral Commission (INEC), in Bedere, Gokhana Local Gov¬ernment Area of Rivers State, was rocked by bomb explo¬sion. Though, the State Police Com¬mand has stated that no casualty was recorded in the incident.
Meanwhile, the People’s Dem¬ocratic Party (PDP) alleged the arrest of some of its supporters at various polling units, and the use of security agents to rig the elec¬tions in favour of the main oppo¬sition All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was also gathered that there was no election in ward 4, unit 3, Ogo/Bolo LGA follow¬ing the hijack of election materi¬als by suspected some thugs.
There were also reports of protests by potential voters at var¬ious polling units in Ahoda West LGA following alleged manipula¬tion of the voting process by sup¬porters of the APC.
Similar protests were recorded in Tai LGA where supporters of the PDP called for the postpone-ment of the polls following al¬leged rigging of the elections by agents of APC.
In Bonny and Eleme LGAs, there were reports of malfunc¬tioning of card reader machines. There were equally reports of sporadic gun shots in Abonema and Akuku Toru Local Govern-ment Areas of the state, to scare aware potential voters.
![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?")
