![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 "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
Real Madrid have signed Brazil’s 18-year-old Vinicius Junior for £38.7m and as unveiled the signing at the Bernabeu Stadium.
The teenager, who can play as a winger or forward, joins from Flamengo after a deal – which is a record for a player under 19 – was agreed a year ago.
????⚽ @vini11Oficial#WelcomeVinicius pic.twitter.com/C9d4B7vfIY
— Real Madrid C.F. ???????????????? (@realmadriden) July 20, 2018
Madrid president Florentino Perez said: “He’s a player who is already considered one of the great hopes of Brazilian and world football.”
Vinicius made 37 league appearances for Flamengo, scoring seven goals.
He played a significant part in the club’s rise to the top of Brazil’s Serie A, contributing six goals and three assists in their opening 11 league and Copa Libertadores matches.
Voted the best player when Brazil won the Under-17 South American Championship last year, Vinicius originally agreed to join Madrid after playing only 17 minutes of senior football.
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Presented on the pitch alongside his compatriot, Ronaldo, who scored 104 goals in 177 games for Real between 2002 and 2007, he said: “This is the best opportunity a football player could have.
“I’m honoured to have reached the pinnacle in football, Real Madrid, at only 18 years of age.”
The fee surpasses the initial £36m paid by Manchester United to Monaco for striker Anthony Martial, who was 19 when he became the world’s most expensive teenager in a September 2015 deal that could be worth up to £58m.
However, it is well short of the £166m fee that Paris St-Germain have agreed to pay Monaco for 19-year-old French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, who was on loan with them last season.
