The father of Nigerian World Cup skipper John Mikel Obi who was kidnapped last week has been freed, police said Tuesday.
"Michael Obi, the father of the (Super) Eagles captain, has regained his freedom," the spokesman for Enugu state police in southeast Nigeria, Ebere Amaraizu, said late Monday.
Amaraizu said the senior Obi's captors did not hurt him after seizing him at gunpoint last Thursday evening in Enugu, but they forced him to walk for about five kilometres (three miles) barefoot in heavy rain.
He said the Eagles skipper paid a ransom of 10 million naira (about $28,000) to obtain the release of his father, who is in his sixties.
No arrest has been made but police are on the trail of the abductors, he said.
Obi senior has been kidnapped once before, in the central city of Jos in 2011.
Kidnapping of prominent and rich people and their families is common in southern Nigeria. The victims are usually released unhurt after a ransom is paid.
Boy, 4, Kidnapped In Delhi. How Cops Rescued Him Within 24 Hours Woman Kidnaps 6-Month-Old Boy From Nagpur Railway Station: Police 17-Year-Old Girl Kidnapped, Gang-Raped In Moving Car In Rajasthan: Cops The 'Fake' CrowdStrike Worker Who Crippled Windows Users Worldwide On Sonu Sood's Post About Kanwar Yatra Order, Kangana Ranaut's Rejoinder Woman Dies As Portion Of Mumbai Building Collapses After Heavy Rain 14 Indians Rescued From 'Cyber-Slavery' In Cambodia Wait To Return Home Dawood Declared Terrorist In Individual Capacity, Says Bombay High Court UPSC CSE Prelims 2024: Name And Roll Number-Wise Results Out Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.