![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")
-VP congratulates new President of Baptist Convention, Revd. Akanji
-Describes him as an “effective bridge builder between faiths and ethnicities”
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that Nigeria will rise from its security and socio-economic challenges because the Spirit of God is in the land.
Prof Osinbajo opined that the country will be headed for greater things after it has surmounted its present challenges.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Sunday during a Send Forth Service for Revd. Dr. Israel Adelani Akanji, who until recently, served as Senior Pastor and Minister in Charge of the First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja, for 22 years. Revd. Akanji is now the new President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
He spoke in a short remark he gave at the service which was also attended by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Revd Olasupo Ayokunle and the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunimbe Mamora, among other dignitaries and Christian leaders.
Quoting from the first chapter in the Biblical Book of Genesis, the Vice President related events surrounding the creation of the heaven and earth to the nation’s present challenges and the lives of great individuals.
Prof. Osinbajo stated that “indeed, the lives of great men and women, even as the lives of nations teach important lessons.”
He noted that, “in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. The beginning was bleak, confused, without form, empty.
“This is the way of the lives of some of the greatest men and women and also nations. There might be confusion, grief, trouble, darkness and fear. But even in that confusion, the Bible tells us that the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the face of the deep. God was in the darkness, He did not run away, He is not asleep.
“So it is with our nation. Today, some things may seem bleak and grave, with insecurity, economic difficulties, but even in the midst of these problems, the Spirit of God is in this land, it is here, hovering over this nation.”
He continued: “So, what happens next in verse three? We are told that suddenly God spoke, ‘let there be light…and there was light.’ The darkness came to an end, the fear, insecurity came to an end. So, it shall be for you and our nation. In the next verse, scripture says, God saw the light that it was good….so it shall be for you and our nation. The light will come and it shall be good, very good.”
The Vice President also commended the attributes of the new President of the Baptist Convention, describing Revd. Akanji as a humble and credible leader who “has continued to forge pathways for peace and unity as an effective bridge builder between faiths and ethnicities, realizing that Christ died for all men, and that our gospel is the gospel of peace.”
While congratulating the cleric on his inauguration as President of the Baptist Convention, the Vice President noted that Akanji has also served the Body of Christ in Nigeria as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chairman of Federal Capital Territory, and is still serving as the CAN North Central Zone’s leader.
“Revd. Dr. Israel Akanji now proceeds by the grace of God to the exalted office of the President of the Baptist Convention: the highest office of the Baptist denomination in Nigeria. In this long and arduous journey, Revd. Akanji has had by his side, his dear friend, partner and darling wife, Mrs Victoria Akanji, Mama Sunshine. She has been an effective part of the great works that God has done in her husband’s ministry,” the VP said.
According to him, Revd. Akanji’s “practical demonstration of the gospel of the love of Christ is his recipe for conflict resolution.”
He added, “in those 22 years (serving as pastor of the First Baptist Church Garki) this humble, humorous General of God has also become a foremost, credible and articulate ambassador of the Christian faith in Nigeria.
Noting Revd Akanji’s “determination to forge pathways for peace and unity, the VP observed that his (Dr. Akanji’s) doctorate thesis was on “Theology of Conflict Transformation in Contemporary Nigerian Society.
“I took the trouble to read portions of it to better understand his thoughts. He proposed a new approach which challenges the religious institutions, particularly the Church, through its pastoral ministry, to become actively involved in the transformation of conflict in the nation through a practical theology, a theology of hospitality.”
In the same vein, the Prof Osinbajo congratulated Akanji on the occasion of his 60th Birthday coming up on Monday August 16. He wished him more strength, wisdom and favour and asked for God’s blessing on all Nigerians.
![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")
