Sports / Soccer
John Obi Mikel's father missing in Nigeria, thought to have been kidnapped
15 Aug 2011 at 12:27hrs | Views
Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel's father is thought to have been abducted after he went missing in Nigeria since Friday, according to his management.
Michael Obi has not been seen or heard from since he failed to return home from work on Friday in Jos, the capital of central Nigerian Plateau state.
Mikel was informed on Saturday morning that his father had not returned home after work on Friday in the Nigerian city of Jos and had not been contactable by telephone, and he has not been seen since.
Mikel's manager, John Shittu, told Kick Off Nigeria: "At the moment we have not heard from Mikel's father, or anyone else, so we don't know what it is. At this point, we only consider him missing."
Mikel played the full 90 minutes for Chelsea in their 0-0 draw at Stoke on Sunday but Shittu added: "He is totally devastated. We were not sure whether to tell him before the game, but after speaking to the manager, and (Chelsea technical director) Mike Emenalo, we agreed that he had a right to be informed of such a serious incident.
SEM said no ransom demand had yet been received and that Mikel had decided to play in the match "so as not to let down his team and family".
His family told the BBC that they have had no contact with Obi senior but believe he is "safe and well".
The Chelsea player's agent John Ola Shittu said that everybody in the family remains hopeful.
Michael Obi has not been seen or heard from since he failed to return home from work on Friday in Jos, the capital of central Nigerian Plateau state.
Mikel was informed on Saturday morning that his father had not returned home after work on Friday in the Nigerian city of Jos and had not been contactable by telephone, and he has not been seen since.
Mikel's manager, John Shittu, told Kick Off Nigeria: "At the moment we have not heard from Mikel's father, or anyone else, so we don't know what it is. At this point, we only consider him missing."
Mikel played the full 90 minutes for Chelsea in their 0-0 draw at Stoke on Sunday but Shittu added: "He is totally devastated. We were not sure whether to tell him before the game, but after speaking to the manager, and (Chelsea technical director) Mike Emenalo, we agreed that he had a right to be informed of such a serious incident.
SEM said no ransom demand had yet been received and that Mikel had decided to play in the match "so as not to let down his team and family".
His family told the BBC that they have had no contact with Obi senior but believe he is "safe and well".
The Chelsea player's agent John Ola Shittu said that everybody in the family remains hopeful.
Source - KickOff/BBC
