Troops of the Joint Task Force North West Operation Hadarin Daji on Wednesday killed 10 terrorists and rescued nine kidnapped victims, including women and babies, during clearance operations in Katsina and Zamfara states.
According to a statement made on the Nigerian Army’s official X handle on Thursday, this was documented during the dry season clearance operations led by Major General Godwin Mutkut, General Officer Commanding 8 Division Nigerian Army.
The statement partly read, “On January 3, 2024, the combined troops of the OPHD conducted an offensive operation in identified terrorist enclaves at Batsari and Safana LGAs of Katsina State, neutralizing 10 of the terrorists while others fled with gunshot wounds.
“The troops also recovered one AK-47 rifle, ammunition, seven Danish guns, three locally fabricated guns, and other dangerous weapons, as well as communication gadgets, mobile phones, and military uniforms, while four motorcycles were recovered and destroyed in situ.”
In a second operation on the same day in Zamfara State, troops from Operation Hadarin Daji launched a search and rescue operation at Dansadau and Dandalla villages in the state’s Maru LG.
It read, “During the operation, nine kidnapped victims were rescued, which included five women and four babies.
“The victims were abandoned by the terrorists, who fled after a gun duel with the resilient troops. The rescued victims were immediately reunited with their families at Magami.”
This is the Nigerian Army’s first operational report for 2024.
According to reports, troops from the 1st Division of the Nigerian Army neutralized 14 militants and rescued kidnapped victims during operations in Niger and Kaduna states in December 2023.
OPDH forces also rescued 13 kidnapped victims and arrested 11 alleged terrorist logistical suppliers in Zamfara State during the same month.
![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")
