The Kaduna State Government has announced the resumption of telecommunications services, which had been suspended on the instructions of the state security council.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, announced the restoration of full services in the impacted areas during a news conference on Friday, saying it may take a few days while service providers mobilize to power their transmission systems accordingly.
Aruwan stated that the state government regretted any inconveniences that people of the affected LGAs may have experienced as a result of the shutdown, and he also praised the sacrifices that were made while the shutdown was in effect.
Meanwhile, the government emphasized that the additional security containment measures outlined as part of the security containment directives remain in effect.
These include a statewide ban on motorcycles, weekly markets, a statewide restriction on cattle transportation, and the selling of petroleum in jerrycans in certain Local Government Areas.
The state government enacted those restrictions as part of its efforts to counter the rising tide of insecurity not just in Kaduna, but also in neighboring states in the North-West and North-Central areas.
![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")
