Three suspected kidnappers were killed during the rescue operation, the police said.

An Italian Catholic priest, Luigi Brena, abducted by gunmen on Sunday inEdo Statehas been rescued by the police.

Mr Brena, 64, was abducted along Ogunwenyi through Usen community in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The police spokesperson in the state, Jennifer Iwegbu, who confirmed this in a statement on Monday, said three of the kidnappers were killed, while the rest escaped into the forest with gunshot injuries.

They abandoned their victim, the official said.

The rescued cleric is the third Catholic priest to be abducted by gunmen in Edo in less than 48 hours and the fourth in less than a week.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported the abduction of two Catholic priests, Udo Peter of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Uromi and Philemon Ugboh of St. Joseph Retreat Centre, Ugboha in Esan South East Local Government Area of the state.

Both priests were abducted on Saturday along the Benin-Auchi Expressway.

Their abduction came barely a week after Christopher Odia, another Catholic Priest was killed a few hours after he was abducted at his rectory on June 27 while coming out for Mass.

Mr Odia was the administrator of St. Michael Catholic Church, Ikabigbo, Etsako West Local Government Area, and also the Principal of St. Philip Catholic Secondary School, Jattu, in the state.

Gunmen had similarly killed another Catholic Priest, Vitus Borogo, in his farm in Kaduna, North-west Nigeria

Kidnap-for-ransom is now one of the dominant crimes across various parts of the country.

The Methodist Prelate, Samuel Kanu-Uche, and the Methodist Bishop of Owerri were recently kidnapped along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in Abia State.

Members of the church reportedly paid N100 million ransom before the clerics were released.