![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")
Keystone Bank Limited has partnered with a ‘Cash Reward as-a-Service Company’, CeLD Innovations Limited, to launch a ground-breaking product, CashToken, a new age of hyper consumer centricity in Nigeria.
The new innovative product, CashToken, which was formally launched in Lagos on Thursday April 19, 2018 at a conference tagged “500 Top CEOs Conference – Unleashing The Age of Hyper Consumer Centricity, is an electronic reward and celebratory gift commodity which costs only N30 (Thirty Naira).
The initiative according to CeLD creates an avenue for every customer in Nigeria to have an opportunity for life-changing cash rewards every Friday night at the national CashToken draws, to be monitored by Alexander Forbes and audited by Deloitte. The product is designed to optimize customer loyalty investment for business, celebratory gift value optimization and public emotional equity for government.
According to the Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Obeahon Ohiwerei, “At Keystone Bank, our vision as we begin our trajectory towards industry leadership is the enablement of new possibilities tied to our customer’s innermost desires as we connect our customers to a new era of Hyper Consumer Centricity; where every patronage of our bank is a life changing opportunity.”
“And so, the establishment of the world’s first Cash Reward as-a-Service Platform by CeLD is indeed not only most commendable but worthy of strategic support of forward looking businesses; hence the support of the Board of Directors and management of Keystone Bank Limited.”
READ: PICTURES: UBA celebrates Africa, honours staff at 2018 CEO awards
“We have also taken a decision to partner with CeLD to adopt this ground-breaking product, ‘The CashToken’ as a Keystone Bank Customer Loyalty Reward Commodity.
“We believe every patronage of the bank should be a true life changing-opportunity with guaranteed cash for insurance, pension or savings.”
“We therefore call on all industry leaders, business owners, governments and the celebratory gift industry to join us as we project this great African Innovation to the world stage. We believe that One (1) to Three (3) billion people will receive CashTokens in five years across the world,” Ohiwerei concluded.
Also speaking at the launch, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox Technologies Limited said that products like CeLD are the kind of empowerment that today’s startups earnestly require.
“CashToken is the miracle of the 21st Century, and it’s an innovation that makes business faster, and is transparent. It is an innovation that will bring growth to the economy of the country.” Ekeh added.
Other speakers and guests at the launch include: Tunde Irukera (Director General Consumer Protection Council), Lanre Gbajabiamila (DG, National Lottery Regulation Commission), Mitchel Elegbe (GMD, Interswitch Group), Hon. Fuad Atanda-Lawal (Chairman Obalende/Ikoyi LCDA), Wale Olokodana (Enterprise Commercial Lead, Microsoft Nigeria), Bello Maigari (Executive Secretary, National Lottery Trust Fund), Alex Okoh (DG, Bureau of Public Enterprise,) and many more.
Summarizing the essence of the epoch-making event, through a concise letter to the CEOs, Mr. Lai Labode, Founder and CEO of CeLD Innovations said: “the CashToken idea inspires a new age of HYPER Consumer Centricity, where the reward on every patronage is an incontrovertible life-changing opportunity and development of consumer emotional equity that will ultimately attempt to shape the several and individual preferences of the average consumer in the ever-competitive and volatile business world.”
![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")
