Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has opened up about the harrowing experience of learning about his father’s kidnapping just two hours before Nigeria’s crucial FIFA World Cup match against Argentina.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast published on Monday, Mikel revealed that he received a call from his brother informing him that their father had been kidnapped in Nigeria. It was the second time such an incident had occurred.
“Kidnappers love my dad,” Mikel said, adding, “No, they love my money.”
The midfielder, who was set to captain Nigeria in a high-stakes knockout clash against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, had to make a difficult decision—whether to inform his teammates or keep the distressing news to himself.
“I didn’t want to let the team down. I was the captain. I thought about it in my room, and then I went out there and played the game,” he said.
Despite the emotional turmoil, Mikel took to the pitch, all while dealing with threats from the kidnappers, who demanded ransom.
“They called me, knowing I was going into the game. They thought it would push me to pay whatever they wanted. I spoke to them, and they said, ‘We’re going to shoot the [expletive] out of him if you don’t pay.’ My dad was on the phone saying, ‘Just give them the money, they are beating me up,’” Mikel recounted.
After the match, Mikel reached out to Chelsea officials, who informed then-club owner Roman Abramovich about the situation.
“Roman being Roman said, ‘Just give me 24 hours. Let me send my people down, and I’ll find your dad.’ I thought, how the [expletive] are you going to do that? Nigeria is a massive country. But he said, ‘Don’t worry about it, just give me 24 hours.’”
Despite Abramovich’s offer, Mikel eventually had to negotiate and pay a hefty ransom to secure his father’s release.
“I didn’t know, but I had to negotiate, and I had to pay a lot of money to get him out. But my dad was safe,” he said.
Mikel described the ordeal as a life-changing experience, adding that such challenges had made him mentally stronger.
