The Enugu State Police Command has stated that the ban on the sale and unauthorised use of firecrackers across the state ahead of Christmas is still force.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, in statement posted on X, said the state’s Commissioner of Police Kanayo Uzuegbu, insist that the ban remains “in full force” and cautioned firework dealers and users to “desist forthwith.”
“The dangers of setting off explosives like knockout bangers and firecrackers include enabling criminals, causing injuries, and fire outbreaks,” CP Uzuegbu stressed.
The Commissioer stressed that the “tendency” of fireworks to enable crime, heighten tension, and pose “hazards to human life and property” during the dry harmattan winter.
Uzuegbe threatened that “violators would face the full weight of the law,” while advising parents to stop children from buying or igniting fireworks.
CP Uzuegbu ordered Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), and Tactical Unit heads to “enforce the ban to the letter” and guarantee watertight security this Christmas season.
“We will not tolerate any security breaches in their jurisdictions,” he asserted.
![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")
