John Obi Mikels fatherss kidnappers make contact

Last updated : 17 August 2011 By Daily Mail

The alarm was raised when Michael Obi, who runs a transport company, failed to return home from work in Jos, the capital of Plateau State in central Nigeria, on Friday.

Mikel, who was told the news on Saturday but chose to play in Chelsea's goalless draw with Stoke the following day, appealed for information on the whereabouts of his father and the family have now been contacted by the kidnappers.

Agony: John Obi Mikel (left) is waiting to hear about his missing father

Mikel's brother Ebele Obi said in quotes reported on www.supersport.com: 'Some people called my mum informing her that they have her husband in custody.

'My mum, while crying, pleaded with the abductors to release her husband. They asked her to go and look for money but declined to state how much.'

Tony Obi, eldest son of Michael Obi, confirmed their father's car had also been retrieved.

'We got two calls from the abductors who confirmed that our father is in their custody," he said. "They told me where to locate my dad's car, which has been found, but I do not want to disclose the location for now.'

Ebele Obi added: 'We have heard our father's voice. At least we now know that he is alive. The family is happy, relieved but still we plead with the abductors to release our father.'

Missing: Michael Obi

Meanwhile, Plateau state police commissioner Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni told the AP that he expected his officers and the family to resolve the abduction soon.

'I'm very hopeful that we'll make progress; we'll make a breakthrough at the end of the day,' Ayeni said. 'It's still premature for me to tell you now. The details are unavailable now.'

He added that officers are 'working hard to ensure that he is found alive, hale and hearty.'

Nigeria, an oil-rich country of 150 million people, is almost evenly split between Muslims in the north and the predominantly Christian south. Plateau state, in Nigeria's fertile central belt, has seen thousands die in recent years in religious and ethnic violence rooted largely in political and economic issues.

Mikel's family, from the Igbo tribe, is in the minority in the area. However, Mikel said Monday that the kidnapping shocked him because his family never had any problems there before.

Kidnappings in Plateau state are a rarity when compared to Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, where militants and criminal gangs often kidnap foreigners for ransom. Middle class Nigerian families also increasingly find themselves targeted in the country's East as well.

Mikel has been at Chelsea since 2006. He previously played for Nigerian Premier League club Plateau United and Norwegian club Lyn.

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Source: Daily Mail

Source: Daily Mail