Former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi has revealed how much money he had to part with to secure the release of his father, who was kidnapped a few years ago.
Mikel’s father, Pa Michael Obi and driver, Ishaya John, were kidnapped on the Markurdi–Enugu road in 2018, a few hours before Nigeria and Argentina were due to play at the World Cup in Russia.
Despite getting information about the kidnapping, Mikel still went ahead to lead Nigeria into the game, receiving applause from many Nigerians.
Speaking with a Dubai-based radio station, the former Eagles skipper revealed how he was able to play the game in spite of the disturbing development.
The 35-year-old disclosed that he received the news while travelling on the team bus to the stadium in St Petersburg.
The former Chelsea midfielder said his family called to inform him about the incident and gave him a phone number provided by the kidnappers.
Mikel said when he made the call, he was ordered to pay ransom.
He said he had to put the disturbing news aside to turn up for his country.
“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.
“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.
He added, “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. I have not told my kids about it, but a few months ago, they looked at my phone and saw the news about it. Obviously, I have not told them about it because they are young kids, 7 years, but one day when they grow up, I will be able to share the story with them.”