![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 "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
The House of Representatives on Tuesday called for an urgent need for the Federal Government to issue Value-Added Tax (VAT) and Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) waivers to contractors handling critical power projects for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The resolution was passed by the House Committee on Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Rep. Bamidele Salam, during the resumed investigative hearing into the ‘Accelerated Transmission-Distribution Interface Transmission Lines/Sub-stations’ contracts worth $231,004,002.8 and N18,264,411,235.66 awarded since 2015.
While briefing the Committee, representatives of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the contractors explained that all the contracts have a great total of offshore components since the giant transformers are to be sourced from outside Nigeria.
Rep. Adelegbe Oluwatimehin, who moved a motion in response to his concern over the difficulties facing the implementation of the power projects, noted that the situation has grown so serious that immediate action is necessary to save the power sector from the predicament it is in.
In his remarks, Hon. Mohammed Kabir Abdullahi solicited the House’s intervention to the committee in a manner that will ensure the completion of the projects, which, he said, have already suffered so much delay.
“We will be so happy and delighted to see the quick resolution of this. TCN, it appears, got stuck because we have done the necessary two letters to the Ministry of Power and we copied Finance at that time too, with the expectation that it will get to the Presidency.
“But up until now, we have not gotten any response, unfortunately.
“Not only this project. There are other TCN projects that are also affected by this. There are some being funded by the World Bank and all that,” Engineer Kabir lamented.
In his intervention, Rep. Salam further wondered why the TCN did not approach other regulatory agencies and stakeholders to support them in getting waivers for the equipment that is trapped in transit, especially at the seaports.
“There is no doubt that there have been administrative lapses. No doubt, I went through the letter and actually pointed that out to him earlier.
“If you read the letter, you will see that these are part of the things that affect our institutions.
“There are things that need to be done timeously. There are ways of doing things, especially in the National Assembly as an institution.
“I wish agencies knew the powers of the institution and were able to leverage such powers and influence to get so many things done.
“You have a Committee on Power, which oversees the TCN, I suppose, and all other agencies.
“If you had approached them all these years, I am sure they would have taken steps to ensure that you get the waivers extended to cover both the IEDC and the VAT components of your projects. But apparently, all those things were not done.
“We are now in a situation where we have to clear that mess.
“We are clearing that mess because the Federal Government, under His Excellency Bola Tinubu, has made the issue of power a very central point of his priority programmes.
“Ours is to make sure that we also support the delivery of that vision. And there is no way it can be delivered if this one is not sorted out.
“Because we are talking about major transformers and other hardware that will be installed in various places to ensure that we have a better transmission and distribution of power,” he noted.
![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")
