Former Chelsea footballer and captain of the Nigerian national team, Mikel Obi, revealed in an interview that his father was abducted just hours before Nigeria's crucial World Cup match against Argentina in 2018.
According to Mikel Obi, he received a call from the kidnappers who demanded a ransom for his father's release. The kidnappers threatened to shoot his father if he reported the incident to the authorities or informed anyone about it.
Mikel Obi stated that he was emotionally distraught and had to decide whether he was mentally ready to play the game.
Mikel Obi decided to play the game and not inform the coaches or the Nigeria Football Federation staff.
He only informed a tight circle of friends. Mikel Obi said that he did not want his issue to become a distraction to the coach or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game.
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After the game, Mikel Obi negotiated with the kidnappers and paid a large sum of money to secure his father's release.
“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 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,” he said.
“They [the kidnappers] said listen, we know, it is Mikel he would pay. If he doesn’t, we are going to shoot his dad. They said they had nothing to lose. They would shoot my dad and dump him somewhere,” Mikel Obi said.
“It was horrible. After the game, I got back on the phone, tried to negotiate with them and spoke with them. They were calling some ridiculous amount of money for a start, and in the end, I still had to pay some crazy amount of money to get my dad out.
“Even now, I still go through it. Even when I got a flashback, I had to speak to the guys on the phone. There was a gunpoint at his head. They said they would shoot him, kill him". He said