![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 Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring safe and sustainable water for all citizens.
Mrs Rukayat Bako, the Deputy Director, Quality Control and Sanitation in the ministry, gave the assurance in Lokoja, at a two-day workshop on ‘’Water Safety Plan (WSP)’’ for water providers across the North Central states.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was for officials of ministries and agencies of water resources from the six states in North Central zone of the country.
Bako noted the workshop was organised to build the capacity of the water service providers on the concept, process and techniques of water safety planning.
She noted that it would also help the participants to understand the key benefits of effective implementation of water planning and identify the expertise needed to design and implement an effective water safety plan.
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‘’We are here in Kogi to train our water providers under the ministry’s Community Water Safety Plan (CWSP) programme which is a very essential aspect of water supply.
‘’We are not satisfied with the level of access to quality potable water supply and that is why we are making more efforts to ensure that the staff of state ministries and water agencies are adequately trained,” Bako said.
She advised the state governors in the North Central zone to prioritise water supply in their various states.
The director also counselled rural dwellers to treat their water by boiling it before drinking.
A Resource Person, Dr Grace Oluwasanya of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), said the workshop was meant to raise champions on WSP.
According to her, water safety plan is a plan to ensure the safety of drinking water through the use of a comprehensive risk assessment and risk management approach that encompasses all steps in water supply from catchment to consumers.
‘’My expectation from this workshop is to be able to raise champions that will be able to drive the development and implement water safety planning in their various organisations at state and local levels.
‘’The objective is to be able to provide safe drinking water to everyone of the over 170 million Nigerians,’’ Oluwasanya said.
The expert said that one of the key solutions to challenges facing quality water supply in Nigeria is for government at all levels to adopt WSP.
‘’WSP is a very proactive, preventive and comprehensive method of ensuring safe drinking water and that is why we are here.
‘’We want to change the mindset of the people about how we treat and use water and ensure a safe drinking water for all,’’ she said.
Also speaking, Dr Dickson Kadiri, an Assistant Director, Laboratory Services, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, said the participants would be trained on the modules of water safety plan to secure water that people drink.
He noted that water management and diseases were directly related, saying that contamination of drinking water could result to various types of diseases, especially among children.
Kadiri said officials of the ministry were at the workshop to reduce water-borne diseases. (NAN)
![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")
