In a stunning development to Nigeria’s World Cup campaign it has been revealed that the Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel’s father Michael was kidnapped shortly before their final game against Argentina.
Mikel has admitted he was aware of his father being kidnapped before the match but insisted on leading his country in the crucial group decider where a win for Nigeria would have seen them reach the knockout stages. In the end they were beaten 2-1 by La Albiceleste.
“I was confused. I did not know what to do, but in the end I knew that I could not let 180 million Nigerians down,” Mikel told ESPN.
“I had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first. I was told that they would shoot my dad instantly if I reported to the authorities or told anybody.
“And I did not want to discuss it with the coach because I did not want my issue to become a distraction to the coach or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game. So as much as I wanted to discuss it with the coach, I could not do it.”
The good news is Mikel Snr has now been freed.
“Michael Obi, the father of the (Super) Eagles captain, has regained his freedom,” a spokesman for Enugu state police in southeast Nigeria, Ebere Amaraizu, said late Monday.
Amaraizu said the senior Obi’s captors did not hurt him after seizing him at gunpoint last Thursday evening in Enugu, but they forced him to walk for about five kilometres (three miles) barefoot in heavy rain.
He said the Eagles skipper paid a ransom of 10 million naira (about US$28,000) to obtain the release of his father, who is in his sixties. No arrest has been made but police are on the trail of the abductors, he said.
Michael Obi has been kidnapped once before, in the central city of Jos in 2011.
Kidnapping of prominent and rich people and their families is common in southern Nigeria. The victims are usually released unhurt after a ransom is paid.
The former Chelsea star has represented his country at the last two World Cups and has won 85 caps in total, scoring six goals.