![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-300x200.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
Tobi Amusan, a three-time African Games winner and world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, will begin her Wanda Diamond League season in Xiamen on April 20.
Amusan is one of 12 Olympic gold medalists and 27 world champions set to light up Xiamen’s stunning Egret Stadium.
In her title defense, the 26-year-old will battle three reigning global sprint hurdle champions: Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, world champion Danielle Williams, and world indoor champion Devynne Charlton.
Last September, Amusan won the Wanda Diamond League in Eugene, Oregon, for the third year in a row, finishing with a season-best 12.33 seconds.
Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico finished second in 12.38 seconds, with Harrison of the United States coming in third in 12.44 seconds.
The 2022 world champion, who owns the world record of 12.12 seconds, is expected to compete against Camacho-Quinn for Olympic gold in Paris in August.
She will also be attempting to win it for the fourth time in a row, having been only the second woman in Diamond League history to earn a hat-trick of 100-meter hurdles titles in 2023.
Amusan attained this accomplishment on the same track in Oregon, where she won the World Championships the year before, setting the current world record of 12.12 seconds.
However, Amusan is expected to miss the second Diamond League meet of the year in Suzhou, China, as her name was left off the verified list of sprint hurdlers.
The Suzhou meet, scheduled for April 27, is the second of two Chinese tournaments to kick off the 2024 Wanda Diamond League season.
