[Anglican Communion News Service] Senior leaders of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) will still meet for their bi-annual Standing Committee, despite the kidnapping of their provincial dean.

The Most Rev. Ignatius Kattey, the second most senior cleric in the Church of Nigeria, dean of the province and archbishop of Niger Delta province, was kidnapped by armed men late on Friday evening, Sept. 6.

Canon Taiwo Faluso, provincial communications director, said, “We are praying that God in His infinite mercy will grant us, very quickly, the dean’s release from the hoodlums that took him.”

Nevertheless, he stressed that the province’s bi-annual Standing Committee meeting in archbishop’s Diocese of Niger Delta North would go ahead. Several church leaders, including Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, primate, are currently en route to the meeting.

“These are the church’s most important meetings,” said Faluso, adding that the first one had been held in March. “Key decisions are taken during the meeting, and this time we have a consecration of a bishop-elect.”

Faluso was not able to confirm whether the primate had been in contact with the kidnappers.

Kattey and his wife Beatrice Kattey were kidnapped near their residence at Eleme, Port Harcourt, at around 10.45 p.m. on Friday.

According to one news report, kidnappers abandoned the archbishop’s car containing Beatrice Kattey after a police chase. The archbishop is still missing.