![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")
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja from the United Kingdom after a two-week vacation.
Tinubu arrived at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja on Saturday evening.
Olusegun Dada, special assistant to the president on social media, announced Tinubu’s arrival in a post on his X page.
“The Eagle has landed. Welcome home, Mr. President,” he wrote.
He was received by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, among others.
The President departed Abuja for the UK on a two-week leave on Wednesday, October 2, a statement issued by spokesman Bayo Onanuga revealed.
Onanuga said, “President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation, part of his yearly leave.
“He will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.
“He will return to the country after the leave expires,” the statement said.
On October 11, President Tinubu left the UK for Paris in France for “an important engagement,” his Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, disclosed in an X post.
Tinubu has embarked on a series of trips to the UK and France since he was elected president in March 2023.
On Wednesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima also left the country for a two-day working visit to Sweden.
Nigerians raised concerns over their absence, claiming that no one is in charge of the country’s affairs.
The presidency had stated that the absence of the country’s first and second citizens does not translate to a vacuum in the nation’s leadership.
![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")
