Mikel Obi recounts how he paid ‘crazy money’ to rescue his father from kidnappers

Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has recounted how he paid a crazy amount of money to save his father, Pa Michael, from kidnappers.

Obi Mikel revealed this while speaking with Dubai Eye 103.8 Sport.

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 bravely led the Super Eagles against Argentina four hours after he spoke with the kidnappers who kidnapped 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.”