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Nigerian Catholic priest convicted of sexual assault in US
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A Texas jury has convicted former Roman Catholic priest Anthony Odiong of sexually assaulting women to whom he provided spiritual direction, concluding a closely watched case involving allegations that he abused his position as a clergyman to pursue sexual relationships with vulnerable parishioners.
The jury, comprising eight women and four men, found Odiong, 57, guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault involving two women who testified during the trial in Waco.
Odiong, who pleaded not guilty, now faces a possible life sentence on the first-degree charge. Sentencing proceedings are scheduled to begin Monday before the same jury. The second-degree convictions each carry potential prison terms ranging from two to 20 years, The Guardian reports.
Jurors deliberated for about two hours before returning their verdict.
The case initially included allegations involving a third woman, but prosecutors Ryan Calvert and Liz Buice dropped that portion of the case after the complainant, described as being in an “extremely emotionally fragile” state, did not appear in court to testify. Prosecutors said they chose not to compel her appearance, citing her “extremely tenuous” emotional condition.
According to courtroom accounts, Odiong showed little visible reaction as Judge Thomas West read the verdict. He reportedly looked straight ahead during the proceedings before lowering his head as deputies escorted him from the courtroom.
The prosecution stemmed from allegations first brought to public attention in February 2024 by a group of women who accused Odiong of sexual coercion, unwanted touching and abusive financial control while serving as a Catholic priest in Texas and later in Louisiana.
One of the complainants, identified by the pseudonym Mary Doe, later presented a copy of a media report detailing the allegations to Waco police and accused Odiong of assaulting her over three years beginning in 2008.
Investigators subsequently identified a second complainant, known as Jane Doe, who also alleged abuse during the same period while Odiong served in the Waco area. Authorities said additional reports from other women helped establish probable cause for his arrest and prosecution despite the age of the allegations.
During the trial, Mary Doe testified that Odiong initiated a long-term sexual relationship with her while acting as her spiritual adviser as she navigated a difficult divorce and cared for seven children. She and one of her sons told jurors that the child once discovered them having sexual intercourse in her bedroom following a family gathering.
Jane Doe testified that she sought spiritual guidance from Odiong while trapped in an abusive marriage. She alleged that he pressured her to permit sexual acts with her husband that she found painful and then required her to discuss the encounters with him. Prosecutors argued that such conduct constituted sexual assault under Texas law even though Odiong was not directly involved in the sexual activity.
Both women said they met Odiong while he served at St Peter Catholic Center in Waco, a church frequented by students and employees of Baylor University. Their former husbands were Baylor employees, placing them within Odiong’s pastoral reach.
Jurors also heard evidence that DNA testing established Odiong had fathered a child in 2023 with a woman identified as Presley Jones, whom he had counselled spiritually while serving as pastor of St Anthony of Padua Church in Luling, Louisiana.
Although Odiong was not charged in connection with Jones because Louisiana lacks a law similar to Texas’ clergy sexual assault statute, prosecutors argued that the child demonstrated a pattern of sexual relationships with women he met through his ministerial work.
Expert witnesses told the court that clergy members bear responsibility for maintaining professional and spiritual boundaries with those under their care. Jurors also heard testimony regarding the Catholic Church’s requirement that priests remain celibate.
The defence called only one witness, a former parishioner, who testified about Odiong’s character and recalled attending a 2011 gathering at Mary Doe’s home. Under cross-examination, however, the witness acknowledged that Odiong’s conduct fell short of expectations for a religious leader.
Odiong, a naturalised United States citizen, was ordained a Catholic priest in 1993 in his native Nigeria. He was transferred to the Austin Diocese region, which includes Waco, in 2006 under then-Bishop Gregory Aymond.
After studying in Rome, Odiong moved to Luling in 2015, by which time Aymond had become Archbishop of New Orleans.
Church officials in Austin later said they suspended Odiong from ministry in 2019 over allegations involving multiple women. The suspension was not publicly announced at the time, though officials said New Orleans church leaders were informed. Archbishop Aymond did not publicly disclose a similar suspension in New Orleans until late 2023.
The self-acclaimed Director-General of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, Adeyemi Adeniyi, says he borrowed the N400 million to secured the job at the presidency.
Adeniyi made this revelation on Monday during zoom interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.
He said his creditors have reported him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
He described the way some actors in government taking the matter as ‘unfortunate and embarrassing’, asking how only him could manoeuvre the entire Federal Government system.
“I borrowed this money, the N400 million, to pay for this appointment. In fact, those that I borrowed the money from have reported me to the EFCC to refund it,” he said.
When asked to react to the report that there is a United States lobbying firm helping him to seek an asylum, Adeniyi said, “I read it the way you read it.”
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May 18 primaries has come to a close, I appeal to all my people to support all APC candidates -Ize-Iyamu
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has beckoned on all his loyalists to support All Progressives Congress APC candidates after the party formally endorsed all Edo State candidates.
This was contained in a statement he personally signed encouraging his loyalists in Edo South to throw their weights behind all APC candidates.
Hear him:
“Following wide-ranging consultations with our leaders, party members, supporters, women, youths, and well-wishers across Edo South, Nigeria, and the diaspora, I address you today(Monday ) with profound gratitude, humility, and an unwavering commitment to the unity and progress of our great party.
“The APC Edo South Senatorial Primary held on May 18, 2026 has come to a close. Our party has completed its democratic process, and a candidate has emerged. I accept the decision of our party in good faith and appeal to all our members, followers and friends to do same.
“The All Progressives Congress is greater than any individual ambition. It is a platform built on service, sacrifice, discipline, and our shared commitment to a better future for our people. Political contests may test our preferences, but they must never diminish our common purpose.
To every supporter, coordinator, volunteer, grassroots mobiliser, and everyone who stood with us throughout this journey, I offer my heartfelt appreciation. Your loyalty, sacrifices, encouragement, and prayers have been a constant source of strength. I remain deeply grateful for your confidence and steadfast support.
I wish to specially thank our brothers and sisters in the diaspora across party lines for the overwhelming support they gave my senatorial bid and assure them of my continous commitment to the development and progress of our district. I urge every one of you to remain peaceful, reject division, and continue to uphold the values that have always defined our people.
Now is the time to reconcile, close ranks, and focus on the greater task before us. Our collective responsibility to serve the people of Edo South is far greater than any individual aspiration. As we move forward, I remain committed to working with our leaders, stakeholders, and party faithfuls to strengthen the APC, secure victory in the general election, and advance the development and well-being of Edo South Senatorial District.
The contest is behind us. The future is before us. Let us move forward with one resolve, and one commitment- to build a stronger APC and a more prosperous Edo South.
Thank you for your prayers, your loyalty, and your unwavering support throughout this journey.
History will not remember the contest we fought; it will remember the future we built together. Let us unite. Let us serve. Let us win for the APC, for Edo South and for the people of Edo State.
God bless the All Progressives Congress. God bless Edo South Senatorial District. God bless Edo State.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Oba gha to kpere, ise
The Senate Committee on Finance has opened a fresh scrutiny of the Federal Government’s import duty waiver regime after the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) disclosed that the value of Import Duty Exemption Certificates (IDECs) issued since March 2020 rose to about ₦34 trillion by 2025.
The committee also threatened sanctions against the heads of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, for failing to appear before its investigative hearing on revenue remittances.
Appearing before the committee on Monday, Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the agency’s revenue performance had been significantly influenced by government fiscal policies, particularly import duty exemptions granted to strategic sectors.
He explained that about 60 per cent of the ₦34 trillion worth of duty waivers covered military hardware imported to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, while the remaining exemptions applied to imports of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), electric and hybrid vehicles, medical equipment, industrial machinery, manufacturing inputs and food items under government intervention programmes.
Adeniyi maintained that duty waivers should not be assessed solely on the basis of revenue forgone, arguing that they were intended to promote broader economic and social objectives, including industrial growth, improved healthcare delivery and national security.
He, however, recommended stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure beneficiaries of the incentives deliver the expected outcomes through increased production, lower prices and wider economic benefits.
The Customs boss also told lawmakers that the Service had generated about ₦4.5 trillion as of June 30, 2026, against an annual revenue target of ₦11.04 trillion.
However, the hearing exposed disagreements over Customs’ financial obligations after the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) alleged that the agency had an outstanding operating surplus liability of about ₦8.9 billion based on its 2019 audited accounts.
Customs officials rejected the claim, insisting that the figures required reconciliation.
The committee also turned its attention to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) after the Fiscal Responsibility Commission alleged that the agency had failed to remit about ₦13.9 billion in operating surplus between 2023 and 2025.
Responding, the Registrar-General of the CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, acknowledged the outstanding liability but said the Commission had commenced gradual settlement of the amount.
To establish the actual figure, Chairman of the committee, Senator Sani Musa, directed the CAC, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the committee’s secretariat to reconcile their records and submit a comprehensive report within two weeks.
The committee also expressed displeasure over the absence of several invited agencies from the investigative hearing.
Senator Musa warned that the heads of the NCAA, SMEDAN, ITF, FMC Jabi and other defaulting agencies must appear at the next sitting or face sanctions under the Senate Standing Rules.
He stressed that agencies responsible for managing public resources have a constitutional obligation to account for revenues generated on behalf of the Federal Government and comply with legislative oversight.
PFIPC scandal: ‘I borrowed N400 million to secure the appointment’ – Adeyemi Adeniyi
May 18 primaries has come to a close, I appeal to all my people to support all APC candidates -Ize-Iyamu
Senate investigates N34tn Duty Waivers, Threatens Sanctions for Defaulting Agencies
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