Ex-footballer Obodo Kidnapped In Nigeria
Muhammad Rameez Published November 16, 2020 | 05:13 PM
Former Nigeria midfielder Christian Obodo, who spent over a decade in Seria A, including spells with Fiorentina and Udinese, has been abducted in the country's oil-rich Delta state, police said Monday
Warri, Nigeria, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Nov, 2020 ) :Former Nigeria midfielder Christian Obodo, who spent over a decade in Seria A, including spells with Fiorentina and Udinese, has been abducted in the country's oil-rich Delta state, police said Monday.
The 36-year-old was stopped by unknown gunmen on Sunday in the southern city of Warri, police spokesman Onome Onowakpoyeya told AFP.
"The police are on some intelligence lead towards his rescue," Onowakpoyeya said, but "no contacts have been made with the abductors".
Kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs are common in Africa's most populous country, in particular in the oil-producing Delta region.
Obodo was abducted in the same area in 2012, and rescued a day later in a police raid.
His kidnappers had demanded a ransom of about $188,000 (149,000 Euros).
A friend of the midfielder, who was a regular in the Nigeria team between 2003 and 2008, told AFP that this time Obodo was with his girlfriend in his car when he was abducted.
"They had stopped to buy bananas by the roadside when the gunmen stopped him, forced him out of his car into theirs, and drove off to an unknown destination," the man who asked to be identified as Chief Big Sam said.
Obodo was 17 when he moved to Italy in 2001 to play for Perugia. He later appeared for Fiorentina, Udinese, Torino and Lecce before moving to Dynamo Minsk in 2014.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
More Stories From Sports
-
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
7 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
7 hours ago -
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
7 hours ago -
Watford hire Cleverley as permanent boss
8 hours ago -
Karachi, Lahore, Multan win matches of National Women’s Cricket Tournament
8 hours ago -
No communication gap among players, asserts Babar Azam
8 hours ago
-
Bracewell looks ahead to Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan
8 hours ago -
Bolt named ICC Men’s T20 WC 2024 ambassador
9 hours ago -
Kewell's Yokohama beat Ulsan to reach Asian Champions League final
10 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results
11 hours ago -
Advisor Sports hands over Rs500,000 to prominent Martial Art Athlete Irfan Mehsud
10 hours ago -
Muhammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan ruled out of T20I series against New Zealand
11 hours ago