A commander of the Livestock Guard has been assassinated in Benue State’s Ukum Local Government Area by unknown gunmen.
The government established the Livestock Guards to enforce compliance with the State Anti-Open Grazing Law.
According to witnesses, the death of the ward commander, Jarule Likita, has caused tension in the region.
According to locals, the slain commander was stationed in the Mbatian ward of Ukum LGA until he was assassinated.
The members of the community stated that the deceased died after being shot many times in the chest by the assailants in Tine-Nune village in the state’s Ukum LGA.
Likita’s assassination makes him the fifth ward livestock commander to be assassinated by unknown assailants in the Ukum area in recent years.
Linus Zaki, the State Commander of the Livestock Guards, told newsmen that four of his men had recently been killed in the region.
“I was just informed that some armed men attacked and killed him (Likita). Today, he is the only one who was killed. They have been killing them like that. Three of my men died about two months ago. They just come, fire them, and go away.
“They call them gunmen, unknown gunmen; that is the report reaching me. One went to pick up his wife and was gunned down, as were others. I do not know where these gunmen are coming from,” Zaki said.
![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")
