No fewer than four police officers at a stop-and-search checkpoint were killed by gunmen on Monday evening along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Imo State.
According to an eyewitness who claimed to be a resident of Irete in the Owerri West Local Government Area of the state, he said that fear couldn’t allow him and others to ascertain how many civilians were also shot.
He said, “The gunmen stormed one of the popular hotels where the police checkpoint was mounted at Irete around 6:30 pm and shot at the four policemen on stop-and-search duty, including a Point of Sale operator.
“They also shot dead a female point-of-sale operator and some pedestrians who were taken unaware and rushed to a nearby hospital. It was horrific. All the people around ran away for fear of being hit by stray bullets.
“This road has become a soft spot for them. Last time, they also shot dead several policemen on duty and civilians.
“Government should beef up security in this area to forestall further occurrences.”
Another indigene, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed the attackers were enforcing the South-East’s Monday sit-at-home edict.
He added, “I didn’t know the Monday sit-at-home is still existing in Imo State. I thought it had been stopped, but with what happened today, people will no longer come out on Monday for fear of being killed by gunmen.”
When contacted via text message, Imo State Police Spokesman Henry Okoye was unable to comment at the time of filing this report.
![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")
