Foreign
Abuse Scandal: Church Leaders Ask Archbishop of Canterbury To Resign
A Church of England bishop has called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to resign, calling his position “untenable” after a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church.
Mr Welby is facing mounting pressure to resign after it emerged last week that he did not follow up rigorously enough on reports of John Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse of more than 100 boys and young men.
A review of the Church’s handling of Smyth’s case said the archbishop “could and should” have reported the case to authorities when details were presented to him in 2013.
Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley is the most senior member of the Church to call on Justin Welby to stand down, after others accused him of “allowing abuse to continue” between 2013 and Smyth’s death in 2018.
She told the BBC on Monday: “I think rightly people are asking the question ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?’ And I think the answer at the moment is ‘no’.”
Bishop Hartley said Mr Welby’s resignation would not “solve the safeguarding problem,” but it would “be a very clear indication that a line has been drawn, and that we must move towards independence of safeguarding”.
Mr Welby acknowledged last week that the review made clear he had “personally failed” to “energetically investigate”, and said he had considered resigning, but decided to stay in his role.
The Makin review into Smyth’s case said he might have been brought to justice for decades of abuse before his death, in 2018, had he been formally reported to the police in 2013.
Three members of the Church’s parliament, the General Synod, accused the archbishop of “allowing abuse to continue” during this five-year period. They have started a petition calling for the archbishop to resign, which has now been signed by more than 7,000 people.
Smyth is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England, having subjected as many as 130 victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks.
His abuse took place over almost five decades and across three countries, according to the report. He targeted boys who attended summer camps he ran for young Christians.
Smyth abused 26 to 30 boys and young men in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, the report found. He then relocated to Africa, where he abused a further 85 to 100 “young male children aged 13 to 17”.
The report says that from July 2013, the Church of England knew “at the highest level” about Smyth’s abuse in the UK and should have “properly and effectively” reported him to the UK police and the relevant authorities in South Africa.
Inaction from the Church represented a “missed opportunity to bring him to justice,” the report says.
Hampshire Police opened an investigation into Smyth after a Channel 4 documentary brought allegations against him to light in 2017.
Shortly after it aired, Mr Welby told Channel 4: “I genuinely had no idea that there was anything as horrific as this going on and the kind of story you showed on the clip.
“If I’d known that, I would have been very active, but I had no suspicions at all.”
But last week’s report said “enough was known to have raised concerns upon being informed in 2013”.
Smyth died aged 75 while under investigation by Hampshire Police.
Andy Morse, one of Smyth’s victims, told the Telegraph: “I don’t believe he was telling the truth.
“I’m not sure that he would have had knowledge of the detail, but I think he would have had knowledge of the summary.”
The broadcaster Reverend Richard Coles said on X: “Anyone in authority who knew about an abuser and did not act properly so that abuse continued should resign.”
Anglican priest Giles Fraser told the BBC Mr Welby had “lost the confidence of his clergy”.
Mr Fraser, vicar of St Anne’s Church at Kew, west London, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Mr Welby “really [had] to go”.
Recalling his own experience of abuse at school, Mr Fraser said such an experience was “very traumatic and stays with you”.
“This happened to me when I was seven, eight – I’m 60 in a few weeks’ time,” he said.
“The idea that people continued to be abused after the Church knew what was happening is disgraceful.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declined to comment when asked if Mr Welby should stand down, saying: “That’s a matter really for the Church rather than for me.”
Smyth was accused of attacking boys at his home in Winchester in the 1970s and 1980s, identifying them at Christian camps he ran and at leading public schools including Winchester College.
Smyth took them to his home where he carried out lashings with a garden cane in his shed.
One of Smyth’s victims, Bishop of Guildford Andrew Watson, previously described the “excruciating and shocking” abuse he experienced.
A report detailing Smyth’s abuse was presented to some Church leaders in 1982, but no report was made to the police.
He was encouraged to leave the country and moved to Zimbabwe and later to South Africa.
Smyth was charged with the manslaughter of a 16-year-old boy at one of his summer camps but not convicted of the offence.
In a statement, Mr Welby said he was “deeply sorry that this abuse happened” and “that concealment by many people who were fully aware of the abuse over many years meant that John Smyth was able to abuse overseas and died before he ever faced justice”.
He added: “I had no idea or suspicion of this abuse before 2013.”
What has most upset some about Church leaders’ response to the Makin review is that they feel it fits a long-running pattern of choosing a path of protecting reputation, and each other, over the welfare of abuse survivors.
In fact, the Bishop of Newcastle felt compelled to speak out after having earlier in the month received a letter from both the Archbishops of Canterbury and York over a stance that she had taken on safeguarding, using what she “experienced as coercive language”.
There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.
Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran. It was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
AFP
The family of Philip Ifeanyi Elobuike, an indigene of Eziama Village, Ebe, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, has appealed to the public for assistance in locating him after his photograph surfaced on social media following nearly two years without contact.
Elobuike first travelled to the United States around 2004 and initially settled in the Los Angeles area of California. He later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, before relocating to Dallas, Texas.
According to his family, Elobuike remained in contact with his relatives in Nigeria until around 2024, when communication with him suddenly stopped. Before losing contact, he was active on social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
His family had continued searching for him, and on August 11, 2026, they were relieved when his photograph surfaced on social media. The picture provided them with at least some reassurance that he was alive.
Elobuike Philip
However, contrary to reports circulating in some media outlets and on social media, Elobuike has not been reunited with his family or located by his kinsmen in the United States.
His relatives and members of the Nigerian community reportedly spent the entire day on August 12 searching for him in different parts of Dallas but were unable to locate him.
The family is therefore appealing to members of the public, particularly Nigerians and other individuals in the Dallas area, to assist in locating Elobuike and ensuring that he is safely reunited with his family.
The family also urged people to disregard reports claiming that he has already been found and reunited with his relatives, describing such reports as inaccurate.
Anyone who has information about Elobuike’s whereabouts or comes across him is urged to contact any of the following:
Dr. Fred Ngwu: (214) 418-8145
Moses Onyejekwe: (213) 479-2340
Law Okolo: (646) 302-2597
The family expressed appreciation to everyone who has shared his photograph and appealed for continued circulation of the information until he is successfully located.
No fewer than 205 Nigerians were deported from Canada in June 2026 as Canadian authorities intensified enforcement of the country’s immigration laws, according to official figures released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Immigration removal statistics published by the CBSA showed that 10,607 individuals were removed from Canada during the month, with Nigerians ranking among the top 10 nationalities affected by the exercise.
The figures indicate that Nigerians accounted for nearly two per cent of all removals carried out in June.
India recorded the highest number of deportations, with 3,323 nationals removed, followed by Mexico with 1,573. The United States accounted for 372 deportees, while Colombia and Romania recorded 354 and 293 removals respectively.
Other countries with significant numbers of nationals deported included Bangladesh, with 227, and Pakistan, with 207.
Explaining the rationale behind the removals, the CBSA said enforcing immigration laws was critical to protecting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.
“Removing individuals who do not have the right to enter or stay in Canada is essential to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration program and to ensuring fairness for those who come to this country lawfully,” the agency stated.
The latest figures underscore Canada’s continued enforcement against individuals found to have no legal right to remain in the country, as authorities seek to ensure compliance with the nation’s immigration laws.
The sentence was handed down on Friday by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after Adewale pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud.
Announcing the sentence in a statement on Friday, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, said Adewale was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
“United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 27, of Nigeria was sentenced today by United States District Judge Joel Slomsky to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud related to the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,” the statement read.
According to Metcalf, Adewale was arrested in Nigeria on August 17, 2023, during a joint operation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation targeting sexual extortion suspects preying on victims in the United States.
Metcalf noted that the convict was extradited to the US in February 2026 with the assistance of the US authorities and the Nigerian government.
Following his extradition, Adewale was arraigned and subsequently pleaded guilty in April this year.
Commenting on the conviction, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Philadelphia, Wayne A. Jacobs, said the sentence demonstrates that offenders cannot escape justice by operating outside the United States.
“Today’s sentencing illustrates criminals cannot evade justice, even outside of our borders,” Jacobs said.
“This final sentencing is the result of diligent investigative work and close coordination with our domestic and international law enforcement partners.
“Most importantly, today’s sentence represents our continued commitment to seeking justice for victims and their loved ones. Let today’s sentencing send a clear message: alongside our partners here and abroad, the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and bringing to justice those who prey on our communities.”
Also reacting, the chief of the Abington Township Police Department, Patrick Molloy, praised the collaboration between local and federal authorities.
“We are grateful for the federal agents and prosecutors who worked so hard to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice.
“This could have been anyone’s child, and while this prosecution may provide some measure of relief, the pain and suffering for this family will never go away,” Molloy said.
The US authorities said Adewale was the last of three Nigerian suspects convicted in connection with the sextortion case.
His co-defendant, Samuel Abiodun, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in June 2025.
Another accomplice, Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud, and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in October 2025.
“I hope that their arrests, extradition, and prosecution make clear that the DOJ will go after those terrorising our young people — no matter where the scammers and sextortionists may be.
“Though this case is now closed, our thoughts will remain with a family and community forever changed,” Metcalf noted.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has finalised a new rule limiting most foreign students and exchange visitors to a maximum stay of four years, unless they obtain an extension from the federal government, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The new regulation, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ends the long-standing “duration of status” policy, which allowed international students to remain in the United States for the length of their academic programmes, provided they complied with visa requirements.
The restriction applies to holders of F-1 student visas and J-1 exchange visitor visas.
According to The Washington Post, the DHS acknowledged concerns that some students may struggle to complete their academic programmes within the new timeframe, noting that many bachelor’s degree programmes take more than four years to complete, while doctoral programmes often require significantly longer.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the change was necessary to strengthen immigration enforcement and reduce visa overstays.
“For nearly half a century, the outdated ‘duration of status’ system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud,” Mullin said.
The policy has drawn criticism from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, which described the move as unnecessary and warned that it would create uncertainty for international students.
“DHS’ decision to end Duration of Status is a misguided and unnecessary policy shift that injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively,” NAFSA Executive Director Fanta Aw said.
The new rule comes as many US colleges and universities continue to face challenges in attracting international students amid tighter immigration policies and visa restrictions introduced by the Trump administration.
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