![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 Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted Yahaya Bello, the immediate former governor of Kogi State, bail in the amount of N500 million with three sureties.
The trial judge, Justice MaryAnne Anenih, announced the decision after hearing a new bail application submitted before the court following the court’s refusal to grant Bello bail at the previous sitting.
Bello, along with two others, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are on trial for 16 counts of criminal breach of trust and money laundering totalling N110.4 billion brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The court, however, granted the second and third accused bail in the amount of N300 million with two sureties, among other conditions.
Further spelling out the requirements for Bello’s bail, the judge ruled that the sureties must be responsible individuals who own property in any of Abuja’s specified regions—Maitama, Guzape, Apo, Wuse 2, or Asokoro.
She ordered the sureties to deposit the property’s documentation with the court’s registrar, along with two recent passport photos.
Justice Anenih also ordered Bello to deposit two copies of his most current passport photograph, as well as a photocopy of a form of identity, such as an international passport or national identity card, after showing the original to the court’s registrar.
She held, “The first defendant must not travel without the permission of this court, and he shall remain in the Kuje Correctional Facility until the bail conditions are met.”
Recall that on December 10, the court denied Bello’s bail plea due to procedural flaws in the application’s filing.
While delivering the verdict, Justice Anenih remarked that the application was filed prematurely, before Bello was present in court or in jail.
The court noted that Bello’s bail application, dated November 22, 2024, was filed prior to his arraignment on November 27, 2024, which occurred days after he was arrested on November 26, 2024.
She said, “Having not been filed when the first defendant was either in custody or before the court, this instant application is incompetent.
“Consequently, the application, having been filed prematurely, is hereby refused.”
![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")
