SHOCK NEWS : Mikel’s father was kidnapped hours before Argentina match

July 3, 2018
| Report Focus News

The captain of Nigeria’s national football team, John Obi Mikel, has revealed he was told his father had been kidnapped four hours before the crunch World Cup game against Argentina, which saw the West African nation knocked out of the tournament.

Pa Michael Obi was abducted in south-east Nigeria as he travelled to a funeral along the Makurdi-Enugu expressway from Jos, the report says.

He said that he only shared the distressing news with a few close friends but not with any of the Nigerian team officials or his team-mates:

Speaking to The Guardian, Mikel said of the ordeal: “I played while my father was in the hands of bandits. I had to suppress the trauma. I took a call four hours before kick-off to tell me what had happened.

“I was emotionally distraught and I had to make the decision about whether I was mentally ready to play. 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. I had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first. I could not even inform the coaches or NFF staff and only a very tight circle of my friends knew.

“I was told that they would shoot my dad instantly if I reported to the authorities or told anybody. I also did not want to discuss it with the coach [Gernot Rohr] because I did not want my issue to become a distraction to him or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game. As much as I wanted to discuss it with the coach, I could not.

“Thankfully, my father was safely released on Monday afternoon. I thank the police authorities for their rescue efforts and the support I’ve received from friends and family members. Unfortunately, my dad is now in hospital receiving emergency treatment as a result of the torture he received during his capture.”