Three security operatives collapsed as a result of exhaustion during the second term inauguration ceremony of the Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
The separate incidents happened at different locations during the ceremony at the Dr Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, on Tuesday.
Their collapse was blamed on exhaustion and a lengthy march in hot, sunny weather.
The three operatives – a male police officer, a male officer from the Directorate of State Services, and a female operative from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps – were stated to be weary from the blazing sun.
During a parade, a police officer collapsed first, followed by a female NSCDC operative who collapsed near the end of the event and refused to be moved on a stretcher.
A DSS operative slumped in front of the podium during the parade. A security source, who requested anonymity, stated that the police officer was resuscitated at the parade ground but was still unstable and was taken to Chukwuemeka Odu in an ambulance.
As of the time of filing this article, no information had been gathered regarding the most recent events, as several security spokespeople declined to comment.
![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")
