Nigeria, March 10 -- The Bishop of Yola Catholic Diocese in Adamawa State, Stephen Mamza, has refuted reports that a man recently arrested for kidnapping two Catholic priests, Taledo Damian, was a mass server or a cleric in the diocese.

Mr Mamza told reporters in Yola that "the suspect was merely a member of the church and did not hold any official role as a mass server or cleric."

PREMIUM TIMES reported on Sunday how the police arrested Mr Damian, 34, for the kidnap of the priests.

The police rescued the two priests, Abraham Samman and Mathew David-Dusam of the Catholic Diocese of Yola and Jalingo, respectively, who were found tied up by the suspect.

Mr Mamza said on Monday that the church had decided "to set the record straight and ...