Nigerian Priest Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Women in Texas

WACO, Texas – A Nigerian-born Catholic priest has been sentenced to life in prison after a Texas jury convicted him of repeatedly sexually assaulting female parishioners who sought his spiritual guidance. Father Anthony Odiong, 57, who served in the United States for nearly 17 years, was found guilty of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault following a four-day trial in Waco’s 19th State District Court. The jury handed down the life sentence on Tuesday, along with two concurrent 20-year terms and $30,000 in fines.

The severity of the sentence reflects the legal framework in Texas, where it is a felony for clergy members to engage in sexual relationships with adults under their spiritual care. The law recognizes that individuals seeking pastoral guidance cannot legally consent due to the inherent power imbalance. Prosecutors successfully proved that Odiong exploited this trust for more than a decade, using his role as a priest to groom, manipulate, and sexually assault vulnerable women who came to him for help. “He used the collar as a weapon,” one prosecutor told the jury during closing arguments.

The trial brought forward harrowing testimony from multiple women. One survivor, a mother of nine identified as “Mary Doe,” testified that Odiong began a sexual relationship with her in 2008 after she sought his counsel following an abusive marriage. She said he told her the relationship was “holy and special.” Her son testified that he walked in on Odiong and his mother when he was just 14 years old. In a separate case, DNA evidence presented by prosecutors confirmed that Odiong fathered a child with another woman under his spiritual direction in Louisiana, with a certainty of greater than 99.99 percent. Nearly a dozen women have publicly accused Odiong of sexual misconduct spanning more than a decade.

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Odiong will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 30 years of his life sentence. His defense attorney, Gerald Villarial, said he will file an appeal against both the conviction and the sentence. “We believe there were legal errors that affected the outcome,” Villarial told reporters after the sentencing.

The Catholic Church has responded publicly to the verdict. Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of the Diocese of Austin issued a statement assuring parishioners that the sacraments administered by Odiong remain valid, explaining that “the validity of the Sacrament depends on Christ… not on the moral status of the minister.” However, Bishop Garcia acknowledged that while the diocese had received some allegations of misconduct before Odiong left Waco, “the information known to us at the time did not indicate the level of criminality revealed in court testimony.” The Archdiocese of New Orleans, where Odiong later served as pastor of a church in Luling, Louisiana, called his actions “reprehensible” and confirmed he was removed from his pastoral role in 2023.

Odiong was originally ordained in the Diocese of Uyo, Nigeria. He began ministering in Waco, Texas in 2006 before relocating to Louisiana. At the time of his arrest in Florida in 2024, authorities also alleged they found child pornography in his possession, though that charge was not part of the Texas trial.

For readers seeking a quick summary of the case, the key details are as follows. Father Anthony Odiong, age 57, is a Nigerian priest from the Diocese of Uyo. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in Waco, Texas, with parole eligibility only after 30 years. He was also fined $30,000. His convictions include one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault. The trial took place in the 19th State District Court in Waco. Key evidence included DNA proof that he fathered a child with a parishioner and emotional testimony from multiple survivors. His defense attorney has filed an appeal.

Nigerian Priest Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Women in Texas

UK Tightens Immigration Rules, Threatens Universities Over Foreign Student Recruitment

The United Kingdom has introduced tougher immigration measures that could restrict universities from recruiting international students if they fail to meet stricter compliance requirements under a revised visa monitoring system.

The new rules, announced by the UK Home Office, form part of broader efforts to reduce rising asylum claims linked to study, work and tourist visas, with foreign students identified as the largest group associated with such applications in recent data.

Under the updated framework, universities risk losing their student sponsor licence if more than 5 per cent of visa applications linked to their institution are refused, compared to the previous threshold of 10 per cent.

The Home Office said it will now use enhanced monitoring systems to track both visa refusal rates and the performance of individual institutions, allowing authorities to identify universities that fail to properly vet or support applicants.

Officials also warned that institutions could face sanctions if large numbers of international students either fail to enrol after securing visas or fail to complete their academic programmes.

In addition, the government has raised compliance benchmarks for universities recruiting foreign students. The required enrolment rate has been increased to 95 per cent, up from 90 per cent, while the course completion rate threshold has risen from 85 per cent to 90 per cent.

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According to the Home Office, poor enrolment or high dropout rates may indicate abuse of the student visa route, including cases where applicants use study visas as a pathway to seek work or remain in the UK irregularly.

The government also linked the tightening measures to concerns about abuse of the immigration system, saying it is working to ensure that the student visa route is used strictly for genuine education purposes.

The reforms follow a series of earlier restrictions, including an “emergency brake” introduced on study visas for nationals of countries such as Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, after officials reported increased asylum applications from some student visa holders.

UK authorities said asylum claims from individuals on student visas have fallen significantly following recent enforcement actions, which include stricter scrutiny of visa applications and compliance checks.

The Home Office also confirmed that it has contacted more than 300,000 international students whose visas are nearing expiry, warning them against submitting unfounded asylum claims and urging those without legal status to either regularise their stay or leave the country.

The latest policy shift is expected to increase pressure on UK universities, many of which depend heavily on international student tuition fees to support funding, research and institutional budgets.

Education stakeholders have previously warned that tighter immigration controls could affect the UK’s attractiveness as a destination for global students, particularly as countries such as Canada and Australia continue to expand international student pathways.

The UK government has not yet confirmed full implementation timelines, but said consultations and enforcement planning are ongoing across education and immigration agencies.

UK Tightens Immigration Rules, Threatens Universities Over Foreign Student Recruitment

Trump Confirms Calling Netanyahu ‘Fucking Crazy’ in Explosive Phone Call

United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “fucking crazy” during a heated phone call on Monday, while insisting the two leaders continue to maintain a close working relationship. Speaking on the “Pod Force One” podcast with New York Post host Miranda Devine, Trump acknowledged his frustration over Israel’s escalating military campaign in Lebanon, which he said was complicating broader diplomatic efforts with Iran.

Trump told the podcast that he was “a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon.” When asked directly whether he had used the explicit language against Netanyahu, Trump replied simply: “I did.” Despite confirming the heated exchange, Trump stressed that his personal rapport with Netanyahu remains intact. “We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” he said, adding that he believed a resolution to broader regional tensions would come “fairly quickly.”

Trump’s confirmation followed an explosive report from Axios on Monday, which cited two U.S. officials and another source briefed on the conversation. According to the report, Trump launched into a profane tirade against Netanyahu over Israel’s threatened strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut. The Axios report quoted Trump as telling Netanyahu: “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” Another source briefed on the conversation said Trump was “furious” and at one point shouted: “What the fuck are you doing?” According to the report, Trump also referenced his support for Netanyahu during the Israeli leader’s ongoing corruption trial, claiming he had helped keep him out of prison.

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The reported outburst was linked to Netanyahu’s plans for major strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut. U.S. officials told Axios that Trump recognized Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks but believed Netanyahu’s response had become disproportionate. Trump was particularly concerned about civilian casualties in Lebanon and objected to Israeli operations that reportedly involved destroying entire buildings to target individual Hezbollah commanders. The timing of the call proved critical. Earlier on Monday, Iran had threatened to walk away from negotiations with the United States over Israel’s actions in Lebanon. Tehran has made clear that it will not agree to a deal to end the war unless a ceasefire also covers Lebanon, where Israel invaded in March to pursue the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia. One U.S. official described the exchange as among the “most difficult” conversations between the two leaders since Trump returned to office.

Despite the tense exchange, the phone call produced tangible results. Trump announced on Truth Social that Netanyahu had agreed to call off a “major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi!” An Israeli official told Axios that Israel no longer plans to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut. According to understandings reached between the two leaders, Israel would refrain from striking Beirut provided that Hezbollah does not attack Israeli territory. However, Israel’s expanded ground operation in southern Lebanon would continue. One U.S. official told Axios that Trump “steamrolled” Netanyahu on the call, and the prime minister responded by saying, “OK, OK, just make sure everything is taken care of.”

Adding complexity to the story, Israeli media and officials have disputed key aspects of the Axios report. An unnamed Netanyahu staffer denied that Trump cursed at or personally attacked the prime minister. While acknowledging the call was “tense,” the Israeli source claimed Trump did not say that Netanyahu would be in prison or that everyone “hates Israel.” A senior Israeli official briefed on the call later told The Times of Israel that the Israeli account disputing the more dramatic elements was “accurate.” However, Axios reporter Barak Ravid, who broke the story, stood by his reporting, telling Channel 12 that Trump twice used the f-word during the first of two calls between the leaders Monday night.

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In the same podcast interview, Trump dismissed suggestions that Netanyahu had manipulated him into starting the war with Iran, a claim made by some Democratic critics. “He tricked me? I’m the one that started it,” Trump told the New York Post. “I don’t want to bore anybody, but I started [the war with Iran] because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Now, that pertains to Israel because they probably would have been the first one to get hit.” Trump went further, asserting his critical role in Israel’s survival. “I’ll tell you what, if it wasn’t for me there would be no Israel right now,” he said. The president dismissed his critics as “Dumbocrats” and rejected accusations that he was doing Israel’s bidding in the Iran war.

The strained exchange underscores the increasingly shaky ties between two right-wing allies who both face significant political pressures at home. Trump wants a way out of a war that has badly hit the U.S. economy less than six months before midterm elections, which will determine whether his Republican party keeps control of Congress. Netanyahu, meanwhile, faces the possible collapse of his right-wing coalition and is under fire for bowing to Trump on matters of security after calling off the plan to attack Beirut. This is not the first time Trump has expressed frustration with Netanyahu. In September 2025, Trump reportedly told top aides that Netanyahu was “fucking me” regarding ceasefire violations in Gaza. Former ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, noted that tensions between Netanyahu and U.S. presidents are not unusual. “In fact, he has a perfect record of reaching that point of frustration with every U.S. president he’s worked with,” Shapiro told AFP.

Trump used the podcast interview to make several bold claims about ongoing negotiations with Iran. He said Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is directly involved in talks to end the war and that he would “like to meet him.” When asked about Khamenei’s condition—U.S. officials have previously claimed the Iranian leader was seriously injured in the same bombing that killed his father, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war—Trump said: “If you believe the stories, he’s, you know, missing a lot of different parts.” Trump also claimed that Iran has agreed it will not obtain a nuclear weapon, saying: “We’re not going to have a nuclear weapon and lots of other good things are going to happen.” According to Trump, a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz as early as this week, easing pressure on global energy markets. Despite expressing optimism, Trump acknowledged that negotiations have faced multiple setbacks, but maintained that “this will resolve itself fairly quickly.”

Despite the diplomatic maneuvering, fighting resumed in southern Lebanon as clashes broke out again between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters on Monday night. Drone strikes killed eight people, including a father and his two children. Trump’s office has not provided additional comment beyond the president’s Truth Social posts and podcast interview. Netanyahu’s office has not publicly responded to either the Axios report or Trump’s subsequent confirmation of the remarks. The White House referred AFP to Trump’s Truth Social posts from Monday when asked to confirm the Axios account, where the president thanked Netanyahu for agreeing to pull troops back from Beirut.

Trump Confirms Calling Netanyahu ‘Fucking Crazy’ in Explosive Phone Call