![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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
The US has frozen the assets and properties of eight Nigerians alleged to have connections to the Islamic group Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
This was included in a 3,000-page report dated February 10, published by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and observed by Chronicle NG on Monday.
The report also recognized individuals who have been sanctioned for offenses related to cybercrime and other security risks.
The statement follows recent suggestions by the US Congress for visa prohibitions and asset freezes on individuals and organizations charged with violating religious freedom and persecuting Christians in Nigeria.
U.S. lawmakers recommended visa bans and asset freezes for Rabiu Kwankwaso, the ex-governor of Kano State; the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria; and Miyetti Allah Kautal.
According to OFAC, the move forms part of its broader efforts to freeze the property and interests of Specially Designated Nationals and prevent financial dealings with them.
“This publication of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is designed as a reference tool providing actual notice of actions by OFAC with respect to Specially Designated Nationals and other persons (which term includes both individuals and entities) whose property is blocked, to assist the public in complying with the various sanctions programs administered by OFAC,” the agency said.
Included in the list is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also referred to as Salihu Yusuf, who was born on August 23, 1990, in Nigeria. Yusuf was recognized as being linked to Boko Haram and was said to possess a Nigerian passport.
Yusuf was one of six Nigerians found guilty in 2022 for establishing a Boko Haram unit in the United Arab Emirates to generate funds for militants in Nigeria. The six individuals were found guilty in the UAE for trying to transfer $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Another person, Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born on March 4, 1953, in Nigeria, was placed under SDNTK sanctions. He emerged under various pseudonyms, such as Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, referred to as Ba Idrisa, was also designated. He is said to have been born from 1989 to 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State, and has been identified under terrorism-related sanctions.
Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, known as Habib Yusuf, has been associated with birth years ranging from 1990 to 1995. He was recognized as a Boko Haram leader and penalized under terrorism regulations.
Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, mentioned two times in the document, was born in 1976 in Maiduguri, Nigeria. He was associated with Boko Haram and identified under various aliases, such as Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman.
Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born on January 31, 1981, in Nigeria, held a Nigerian passport. He was said to live in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and had connections to Boko Haram.
Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, often referred to as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, was born in 1982 in Mainok, located in Borno State. He was recognized as having connections to ISIL.
Nnamdi Orson Benson, born on March 21, 1987, in Nigeria, appeared on CYBER2 sanctions and was said to possess a Nigerian passport.
The addition of these names to the OFAC list underscores Washington’s ongoing emphasis on combating terrorism financing and cyber threats.
The sanctions indicate that all assets and interests of these individuals within US jurisdiction are frozen, and US persons are typically barred from conducting transactions with them.
Nigerians named in the US Treasury sanctions are subjected to asset freezes as per Executive Order 13224.
In 2013, the United States officially classified Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization. The US State Department reports that the group has perpetrated multiple attacks in the northern and northeastern areas of the nation, along with the Lake Chad Basin in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, resulting in thousands of deaths since 2009.
The US Secretary of State identifies nations that have consistently offered assistance for acts of international terrorism.
These nations are classified under three legislations: Section 1754(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and Section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
In October 2025, US President Donald Trump declared for the second time that Nigeria would join the US Department of State’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern.”
Trump, in a post on X, stated that Nigeria would be added to a watchlist for religious freedom, claiming that Christians were experiencing persecution and being murdered by Muslims.
Nigeria was initially designated as a Country of Particular Concern in 2020 during President Trump’s administration, but shortly after taking office, former President Joe Biden removed Nigeria from the list.
![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?")
