Some members of Ikeja Branch of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA have raised alarm over alleged looting of the funds by the branch Chairman, Mr Adesina Ogunlana.
The members in a statement circulated in the social media claimed that it is strange that despite several petitions over the brazen misappropriation of the branch funds, the national body of the association has refused to initiate an investigation into the matter.
The members however stated that a discreet investigation revealed that over N32 million has so far been siphoned from the association’s account and transferred to Ogunlana’s account.
They noted that never in the history of the branch has any chairman whether dead or alive embarked on such massive act of impunity and brazen disregard to decency in looting the resources of the branch.
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The statement reads:”Having waited in vain to get the positive reaction/s of the president of the Bar to the petition they had earlier on written to him , a discrete investigation was carried out by some concerned members of the branch on just one of the major Accounts of the branch and the revelations are startling, confounding and mind blowing.
“The transfers of the money to the personal account of Mr Adesina Ogunlana were not only massive, they were regular and persistent.
“The withdrawals from Wema Bank Account of the Nigerian Bar Association domiciled in Ikeja and paid into the personal account of Mr Ogunlana Adesina Ibiyemi’s First Bank Account Number 2004528818 were 23 in total.
In the statement by unnamed members of Ikeja NBA, they claimed that the total sum of money passed from the NBA accounts into the First Bank account of Adesina within a year without knowledge and consent of the secretary and treasurer is N32,610,000 (Thirty two million, six hundred and ten thousand naira).
![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")
