MIKEL Obi has retold the story of the kidnapping of his father in 2018, adding some fresh details.
The former Super Eagles captain’s father, Michael Obi, was abducted in Jos, Plateau State five years ago while the player was in Russia with the Nigeria national team for the World Cup.
The Nigeria captain was with his teammates preparing for a make-or-mar group match against Argentina when he was informed of the incident, the second time his businessman father had been forcibly taken by criminals.
“My dad got kidnapped while I was playing for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia,” Mikel recalled to talkSport today.
“We were about to play against Argentina. Two hours before the game I got a phone call from my brother saying my dad got kidnapped.
“The first time he was kidnapped was shocking, but the second time was even more shocking because I was about to go into one of the biggest games of my life.
“I couldn’t leave the room. I couldn’t tell anybody. I was alone in the room for about 30 minutes, thinking what am I going to do?
“But we’re about to go into the biggest game of our lives. We’re about to play against Lionel Messi and Argentina.”
Mr Obi was eventually released five days later after a ransom was paid and Mikel recounts how his club then, Chelsea, played a supportive role during his family’s ordeal
“Chelsea were very supportive. I remember Roman Abramovich saying ‘do you want me to send people over? Because I know if I send people over, I can get your dad out’ — I was like, how are you going to do this?” he said.
“He said don’t worry about that. Just let me know if you want that option, I can do it.”
Nigeria would have qualified for the round of 16 with a win over Argentina but the Super Eagles lost, with Mikel keeping quiet about the incident and having a good game.
“So I thought about it. I was like, okay, you know what? I’m going to keep quiet. I called my mum and my brothers, everybody was crying on the phone,” he explained.
“They were saying no you shouldn’t go out and play because you’re not going to be able to perform well.
“I took time on my own and I decided that I’m going to go out there and perform. I’m going to go out there and play.
“So I didn’t tell anybody. I went on the pitch and I played. Sadly, we didn’t win the game and then after that I told everybody.
“In the dressing room the manager and some of the players were almost in tears. They were saying, ‘you should have told us and you shouldn’t have played’.
“I had my dad on the phone crying on the phone and saying can you give them what they want because I’ve been beaten up here and they’ve got a gun on my head every time saying they’re going to kill me. I managed to pay lots of money to get my dad released.”
Another player, Colombia and Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, is going through a similar experience to Mikel’s, with his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, still in the custody of kidnappers.
Both of Diaz’s parents were kidnapped 11 days ago but his mother was rescued almost immediately while the father is still being held by a guerilla group.
Diaz played for Liverpool on Sunday and scored despite his dire situation, and Mikel knows exactly how the Colombia forward feels.
“I’m happy to see that Liverpool are very supportive,” he said. “I must give credit to Liverpool for what they’re doing.
“I can relate to Luis Diaz and what he’s going through. This kind of situation is where you absolutely have nothing to do.
“I know exactly what you’re going through and I hope he stays strong. I know it’s a tough time for him as a player. I know what his family as well are going through as well.
“You have your brothers, you have your mum, you have your sisters and what they will be going through is absolutely heartbreaking.
“My message to him is stay strong and do all you can to make sure that your dad is released.”
