Three people have been abducted by gunmen during a church service in south-central Nigeria.

The attack happened on Sunday morning during Mass at St Joseph Catholic Church in Affa, in Enugu State's Udi Local Government Area. A catechist, a seminarian and a worshipper were kidnapped, although police have confirmed that one of the victims has since been rescued.

The Enugu State Police Command said security had been stepped up, with police officers, forest guards and members of the Neighbourhood Watch involved in the search.

In a statement, police said officers were "on the trail of armed men" and that, "while closing in on the fleeing suspects, forced them to abandon one of the victims, who was immediately rescued unhurt. The assailants, however, escaped with the remaining two victims."

The Commissioner of Police, CP Bitrus Giwa, urged residents to remain calm and said every available resource was being deployed to secure the safe release of the remaining victims and bring those responsible to justice.

Nigeria ranks seventh on Open Doors' World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.

In June, a United Nations report said "credible reports of killings, abductions, sexual violence, forced conversion, forced marriage, abductions and acts tantamount to enforced disappearances targeting Christian and other religious minority communities in Nigeria, particularly women and girls, are alarming".

The report added that "the deteriorating security situation in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt has created an environment in which armed extremist groups, including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and radicalised individual herdsmen involved in the ‘farmer-herder’ conflict continue to operate with devastating consequences for civilians, amid persistent reports of impunity, institutional failures, and inadequate protection by authorities."