NIGERIA: Concern mounts over the fate of Chelsea and Nigeria footballer John Mikel Obi's father after he went missing

Record ID: 234856

  • Title: NIGERIA: Concern mounts over the fate of Chelsea and Nigeria footballer John Mikel Obi's father after he went missing
  • Date: 19th August 2011
  • Summary: JOS, NIGERIA (AUGUST 16, 2011) (REUTERS) BUSY STREET IN JOS PEOPLE CROWD AROUND NEWSPAPER STAND
  • Embargoed: 3rd September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADMWYV451A4T2IDPRA36GBK6EE
  • Story Text: Kidnappers who abducted the father of Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel contacted his family on Wednesday (August 17) requesting a 20 million naira ($130,000 US dollar) ransom for his release.
    Police were contacted on Friday (August 12) after Mikel's father Michael, who runs a transport company, failed to return to his home in the central Nigerian town of Jos.
    Apev Jacob, a spokesman for the local police, said they had found his father's car abandoned but did not disclose the location.
    Jacob gave no further details on how ransom negotiations were progressing and Mikel's family declined to comment. Mikel is understood to earn more than $100,000 US dollars a week.
    The 24-year-old Nigerian played in Sunday's English premier league season opening 0-0 draw at Stoke City despite knowing his father had been abducted.
    He has publicly pleaded for his safe return.
    It is not the first time a relative of a premier league player has been abducted in Nigeria, where most people live on less than $2 US dollars a day. Former Everton defender Joseph Yobo's brother was kidnapped in 2008.
    No details have been given on how ransom negotiations are progressing.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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