![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")
Following the suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa as Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by the Federal Government, Abdulkarim Chukkol has stepped in as Acting Chairman of the Commission.
Multiple reports have named Mohammed Abba as the acting chairman, but Chronicle NG reports that Chukkol, not Abba, is the substantive acting EFCC chairman. Wilson Uwujaren, PRO of the commission, mailed this statement.
Until this new role, Chukkol was the Director of Operations at the Commission.
A pioneer staff member of the Commission and an illustrious member of the EFCC Cadet Course One, Mr. Chukkol is a consummate and vastly experienced investigator with a specialty in cybercrime and money laundering.
His command appointments in the Commission include spells as Head of the Advance Fee Fraud and Cybercrime Sections of the Lagos and Abuja Zonal Commands between 2011 and 2016, pioneer Commander of the Uyo Zonal Command in 2017, and Commander of the Port Harcourt Zonal Command in 2020.
Chukkol has participated in several special operations with international law enforcement organisations and maintains close relationships with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, UK National Crime Agency, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Secret Service, Australian Federal Police, Dutch Police, German Police, South African Police, etc.
The acting EFCC boss has worked closely with other governments to develop laws and infrastructure for carrying out law enforcement actions. He is Nigeria’s contact person at the International Mass Marketing Fraud Working Group, representing key government regulatory, law enforcement, prosecution, immigration and customs, financial intelligence, consumer protection agencies, and trade and competition bureaus dealing with mass marketing-related issues from Spain, Nigeria, Belgium, Europol, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
He has attended several courses, seminars, and workshops on public corruption, advance fee fraud, and other economic and financial crimes both locally and internationally, including at Oxford University, United Kingdom, in 2022.
His work and initiatives over the years have earned him several awards and commendations both locally and internationally, including “the Most Outstanding Award in Operations” by the EFCC and the “Outstanding Performance Award” by the United States Department of Justice, among others.
The acting EFCC Chairman holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Maiduguri (2000) and a postgraduate certificate in criminal justice education from the University of Virginia, United States, as well as a graduate diploma in cybersecurity and spectrum management from the United States Telecommunication Training Institute, Washington, DC, United States.
He is also an alumnus of the FBI National Academy, Quantico; the European Centre of Security Studies, Germany; and a Fellow of the War College, Nigeria.
