In a statement issued July 30, Bishop Martin Dada Olorunmolu revoked the four men's certificates and suspended their activities as "deacons."

After the ordinations, it emerged that everything Olorunmolu was presented with — including the existence of the congregation the men supposedly belonged to called the "Paraclete Missionaries" as well as the congregation's superior general — was fraudulent.

The men involved in the alleged forgery were identified as Aloysius Kubiatabasi Ebong, Francis Mario Daudu, Nkemaka Charles Chukwudi, and Emmanuel Chukwudum Ezeh.

"I was deceived," the bishop said.

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The diocese distanced itself from the ordinations conferred by the diocesan bishop in mid-July after it became known that the order to which the men allegedly belonged did not even exist.

"At no time were they known to be members of our diocese. After the ordination, they went to their community. We have nothing to do with any of them and were deceived," reads the statement published by the published by the CISA agency.

The faithful had realised during the ordination service, but only after the ordination ceremony, that one of the candidates had previously pretended to be a priest and presided at masses.

The diocese will now "look for appropriate canonical steps to address the unfortunate situation".

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