Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade, Nigerian Army (NA) have neutralized two gun men and arrested four other members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN) in a fierce gun battle along Orlu – Orsu Road on 25 April 2022.
In a statement by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the director, Army Public Relations, weapons were recovered from the criminals.
“The troops, while on routine patrol made contact with elements of IPOB/ESN around the general area of Aluminium Company and All Saints Church. On sighting the patrol team, the criminal elements opened fire and launched grenade attack on the troops.
“The vigilant troops responded with superior firepower neutralizing two of the criminal elements, compelling others to flee in disarray. In a hot pursuit that followed the encounter, troops arrested four of the fleeing gunmen and recovered one AK 47 rifle, two magazines, one Police grenade launcher, two Baofeng communication radios, five mobile phones, one IPOB Beret, two Motorcycles, four SIM cards, five wallets containing different ID cards, afrodisiac, charms and the sum of Sixteen Thousand Four Hundred and Sixty Naira only.
The army added that, “Preliminary investigation on the suspects’ mobile phones reveals gory pictures and videos depicting scenes of cold blooded murders, corpses displayed in shrines and other heinous atrocities committed by the criminals.”
![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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
