The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Yusufu Buratai has congratulated officers and men of the Army Super Camp, Monguno for their resilience and bravery in holding and dealing with the members of the Boko Haram/ISWAP group that attacked Monguno town on Saturday.
Reacting to the gallant efforts of the troops, Gen Buratai urged them to remain firm and resolute.
In a statement on Sunday by Colonel Sagir Musa, acting director army public relations, Buratai said he was highly impressed by the high number of casualties inflicted on the insurgents and the number of Boko Haram terrorist members and equipment captured or destroyed by the gallant troops with the support of the Air Task Force.
He urged them to remain firm and resolute in containing the threat finally.
“The COAS further charged the Commander OPLD to consistently engage in massive offensive patrols to all identified terrorists’ locations and enclaves within the theatre to ensure the terrorists are denied freedom of action and eliminated,” he said.
The COAS also used the opportunity to assure the troops and people of the North West especially Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara States that he will soon be there to ensure that the madness of the bandits is put in proper check.
Buratai said he was also impressed with the performance of the troops in the ongoing operations ACCORD and HADARIN DAJI. He urged them to maintain the momentum.
Colonel Sagir noted that details of Boko Haram terrorists equipment captured or destroyed will be released in due course through a press release.
![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")
