By Wilson Adekumola
The former Super Eagles of Nigeria Captain and Chelsea legend, John Obi-Mikel, has disclosed that he paid exorbitantly to get his dad, Pa Michael, out of the kidnapper’s den.
According to Daily Post, Mikel Obi made this disclosure while speaking with Dubai Eye 103.8 Sport.
Recall that Pa Michael was abducted by kidnappers along the Makurdi-Enugu road on his way to a funeral back in 2018 when Obi Mikel was representing the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Mikel Obi then had gallantly led the Super Eagles against Argentina four hours after he spoke with the kidnappers who abducted his father.
“They [the kidnappers] said listen, we know, 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. 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.”
