Mrs Zainab Joy Momodu, Acting Head of Nigeria’s Foreign Mission in Guinea-Bissau, has died, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This was reported in a statement made on Tuesday night by Ministry Spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa, who stated that the envoy died following a brief illness.
The statement said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces with deep sorrow the sudden demise of Mrs Zainab Joy Momodu, Acting Head of Mission (Chargé d’Affaires ad interim) at the Embassy of Nigeria in Guinea-Bissau, who passed on at the Military Hospital in Bissau on Monday, 7th July 2025, after a brief illness.
“Mrs Momodu joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in the year 2010 and was a member of the 20th Regular Course of the Foreign Service Academy. As a hard-working and dedicated career diplomat, she served Nigeria with distinction, commitment and professionalism in different capacities. Her untimely death is indeed a great loss to the Ministry, the diplomatic community, and the nation at large.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends its heartfelt condolences to her immediate family, colleagues and friends at this difficult time. We pray for the peaceful repose of her soul and for divine comfort for all who mourn her.”
![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")
