![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")
The mother of Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly called MohBad, has broken her silence about her son’s death, stating that the cause of death was not natural.
Mohbad’s mother conveyed her anguish over the loss of her son in an emotional video that circulated on social media.
She refuted the claims that Mohbad died of natural causes, insisting that he was murdered.
She stated that her son’s life became troubled; he “has been living in fear and having sleepless nights ever since he met Naira Marley.”
According to her, “He didn’t die a natural death; he was killed. Whoever killed my son, that person’s home will become troubled. They will face war and curses.
“The glory of the child in their home will diminish because of those who killed him and their sons.
“I am not dead; I am alive. My son didn’t find rest, and I couldn’t speak up whenever he was falsely accused because I wasn’t given the chance.
“I asked my son what happened, and he gave me money to go to the hospital.
“I called him from the hospital, and he told me, ‘Mummy, something is happening.’ I called him to come home and tell me what happened.
“I am his life and heaven. He said he came home because he heard something had happened.
“He said he was taken and given water, and then he didn’t know what happened to him anymore. Since then, I’ve been on the matter.”
She further asserted that MohBad lived in fear until his demise.
“Since then, I’ve been on it. He died in fear. The fear was too much. If he was supposed to go to some shows, he couldn’t go because of the fear that some people were coming,” she said.
“He was beaten every day, and I was receiving calls even from people I didn’t know. I didn’t rest until he was killed,” she added.
Mohbad’s shocking and tragic demise continues to grip the nation, with fans, fellow artists, and the entertainment industry struggling to come to terms with the loss.
