A Catholic Bishop aged 70, has been charged with two counts of rape against a female under the age of 16.

Staffordshire Police say the charges against David James Oakley, the Bishop of Northampton, follow his arrest in September last year. The offences are alleged to have taken place in Staffordshire between February 2000 and February 2001, the force said.

Oakley, 70, is due to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 14 August. He was 45 years old when the incident allegedly occured.

In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Northampton – which covers Northamptonshire , Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire – confirmed the charges against Oakley “after an investigation into non-recent safeguarding allegations”.

It said it recognised the case was “very distressing for all concerned”, but could not comment further due to active legal proceedings.

According to the diocese, Oakley was born in Stourbridge in the West Midlands and was ordained in 1980.

He served in several parishes within the Archdiocese of Birmingham before becoming Bishop of Northampton in 2020.

Oakley was also a front runner to become leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales at one point.

Some leaders and delegates representing the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Wednesday engaged members of the  United States Congress on the case of the organisation’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu, restoration of Biafra and the alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.

The development, which the organization described as “a significant diplomatic engagement for the Biafra Restoration Project”, took place during the Civil Society Presentation of the Cole-More Recommendations in Washington, DC, United States.

A statement released by the group’s media unit on Wednesday evening said Head of the IPOB 4th Directorate of State, Mazi Chris Nwaogu, alongside Mike Arnold, US Diplomatic Representative to IPOB Leader, and other representatives in the United States participated in the session.

The event, attended by members of the US Congress, policy advocates, faith leaders and other public figures, focused on the “escalating persecution of Christian communities and vulnerable ethnic populations in Nigeria”.

“During the engagement, IPOB representatives highlighted the continued detention of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the worsening security situation in Nigeria, and the urgent need for a peaceful and democratic resolution to the longstanding Biafra question,” the statement said.

“As diplomatic awareness continues to grow internationally, IPOB remains committed to lawful advocacy, international engagement, and the pursuit of justice, freedom and self-determination for the people of Biafra,” the statement added.

It will be recalled that, following the appointment of a new Directorate of State, the self determination group had announced plans to intensify diplomatic engagements across the international community, particularly in the United States, Europe and Israel, where it said dedicated teams would work to advance awareness of the ‘Biafra question’.

….Said she was forced to bury him herself

A victim of kidnapping in Zamfara state simply identified as Aisha, recently narrated a heartbreaking account of the suffering she and her infant son endured while in the custody of armed bandits operating in the state’s forests.

Speaking about the traumatic experience in a post, Aisha revealed that her infant son died during their captivity after falling ill and being denied access to medical care. The grieving mother said the bandits initially refused to allow her to bury the child and instead threatened to feed the remains to their dogs.

According to her account, she repeatedly pleaded with the kidnappers to show mercy and allow her to give her son a proper burial. After persistent begging, the bandits reportedly threw a spade at her and ordered her to bury the child herself in the remote forest where they were being held.

“I begged them not to feed my son’s body to their dogs,” Aisha recounted emotionally. “After much pleading, they threw a spade at me and told me to dig the grave myself.”

The devastated mother said she was forced to bury her son with her own hands under the watch of armed men, describing the experience as one of the most painful moments of her life.

Aisha further disclosed that conditions in captivity were extremely harsh, with victims often suffering from hunger, disease, and physical exhaustion. Many captives, she said, were forced to trek long distances through dense forests while under constant threat from their abductors.

Her testimony has once again drawn attention to the worsening security situation in parts of northwestern Nigeria, where bandit groups have continued to carry out kidnappings, attacks on communities, and other violent crimes despite ongoing military operations.

Human rights advocates and security analysts have described Aisha’s account as a stark reminder of the humanitarian crisis facing thousands of victims and families affected by banditry across the region. They have renewed calls for stronger security measures, improved victim support systems, and intensified efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating in rural areas.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage among Nigerians, with many expressing sympathy for the grieving mother and demanding justice for victims of bandit violence. Authorities have yet to release an official statement regarding the specific circumstances surrounding Aisha’s captivity, but security operations against armed groups in Zamfara and neighboring states remain ongoing.