![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")
Nollywood comic actor John Okafor, popularly called Mr Ibu, has reportedly undergone another leg amputation.
Mr Ibu’s condition is said to have deteriorated to the point where he no longer speaks. He’s also said to have had another surgery, this time removing a portion of the same leg that was amputated last month.
Fear has also increased as a result of another veteran actor, Amaechi Muonagor, who has been hospitalized for over two months at Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital in Nnewi, Anambra State.
Dr. Emeka Rollas, National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, told our reporter over the phone about the health of the ailing actors, saying, “We are resigning to fate concerning the two actors.
“As I speak with you, Mr. Ibu hardly talks again, and he has undergone another leg amputation,” Rollas added.
The ailing actors’ conditions are said to have deteriorated with each passing day. According to Rollas, who recently visited Muonagor at the Intensive Care Unit of Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital in Nnewi with some of his colleagues, the actor’s health is pitiful, as he is now a shadow of his former self.
“You will shed tears if you see Amaechi Muonagor now; his legs are completely paralyzed. I’m calling on all fans and well-wishers of the actor to join hands with other philanthropic Nigerians to support him in this dire time,” Rollas said.
He revealed that he has authorized the transfer of N250,000 from the AGN Trust Fund to the ailing actor’s account, which he believes will be insufficient given Muonagor’s records with the Guild HMO and insurance policy.
