President Bola Tinubu commended Justice Stella Anukam on her re-election as a Judge of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights for another six-year term.
The president’s spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, announced on Saturday that Anukam was re-elected at the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting Executive Council in Accra, Ghana, on Friday.
“President Tinubu commends Justice Anukam for her contributions to the development of human rights jurisprudence on the continent and enjoins her to continue to bring her invaluable knowledge and insights to the African Court.
“The President states that his administration will continue to support the candidature of competent and qualified Nigerians for international positions, noting the country’s strategic importance in the global community.
Anukam obtained her law degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (formerly known as the University of Ife), Osun, Nigeria, in 1984 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in August 1985.
She is a Chartered Secretary, a Chartered Arbitrator, and an experienced administrator.
Anukam was the previous Director of Special Programmes at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Abuja, as well as the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International and Comparative Law Department.
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is a continental court formed by African states to protect human and people’s rights throughout Africa.
It complements the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The court is made up of eleven judges, who are nominated by AU member states and elected by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
![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")
