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Four Nigerian Catholic nuns have been abducted in Nigeria’s south-eastern state of Imo, the local convent said, on a now notorious highway where a Catholic was last week kidnapped.

The four nuns were on their way to a morning mass on Sunday when they were abducted in the Okigwe-Umulolo area, the Sisters Of Jesus The Saviour said in a statement.

It said the nuns were headed to a thanksgiving mass of a colleague.

“We implore for intense prayer for their quick and safe release,” the statement said.

Nigeria has experienced an upsurge in violence in recent months. Kidnappings and attacks have been reported across the vast country.