The mother of the head coach of Nigeria’s U-23 football team Samson Siasia has been kidnapped.
According to reports, unidentified gunmen stormed the family residence of the Siasia’s in the early hours of Tuesday morning at Odoni community of Sagbama Local Council Area of Bayelsa State and forcefully whisked away Siasia’s mother on a motorcycle.
Bayelsa State Police Command spokesman, ASP Ansinim Butswat confirmed the incident saying the matter has been reported, but details were still sketchy.
Speaking to the media on the incident, a distraught Siasia expressed his confusion at the occurrence of the event.
Siasia said: “Right now, I am confused. From the story I got, three men on motorbike stormed my parents’ house in my village Odoni in Bayelsa State, shot sporadically into the air before taking my old mother away on a bike.
“What do they expect from me? I don’t have money, I am right now on national duty, and need all the time to concentrate on this very important national task. So, I beg them to please release my mother so that I can concentrate on this task of qualifying the U-23 National Team for the men’s football event of the Rio Olympics.”
In a statement on the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) website, NFF President Amaju Pinnick appealed to the kidnappers to release the 72-year-old mother of the coach.
“This is quite disturbing. We are just preparing for a crucial 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, and the U-23 boys are already in The Gambia for a pre-Cup of Nations training camp. Why this?
“All we can do is to appeal to the kidnappers to free Samson Siasia’s aged mother. Samson is on a critical national assignment presently and the last he needs is this kind of distraction.”
As at the time of this report, the kidnappers are yet to make contact with the family or demand any ransom.
-Vanguard
