John Obi Mikel appeals for release of missing father

LAGOS - The father of Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has been abducted in Nigeria, and the football player made a televised appeal to kidnappers for his father's release.

"I have always tried to help the country in every way I can, playing for the country, serving the country. This is the time for the country to help me in this situation," Mikel told Sky Sports News.

"I am just going to say, whoever has got my dad, whoever knows where my dad is, should please contact me and hopefully he should be released."

Plateau state police commissioner Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni said Michael Obi disappeared from the state capital Jos on Friday.

"We are still searching to find his location," Ayeni said.

Federal police spokesperson Olusola Amore said no one had seen Mikel's father since 6pm on Friday, when he left work to return home.

Sport Entertainment & Media Group, Mikel's management company, said no ransom demand had been made. It said Chelsea was looking at "security issues" after the abduction.

"Mikel was informed by his manager prior to the Stoke v Chelsea match & decided to play so as not to let down his team & family," the group said on Twitter.

Mikel has played with Chelsea since 2006. He previously played for Nigerian Premier League club Plateau United, Nigeria's Under-20 squad and Norwegian club Lyn.

"We will give Mikel and his family our full support at this most difficult time," Chelsea said on its website.

Nigeria, an oil-rich country of 150million people, is almost evenly split between Muslims in the north and the predominantly Christian south. Plateau state, in Nigeria's fertile central belt, has seen thousands die in recent years in religious and ethnic violence rooted largely on political and economic issues.

Mikel's family, from the Igbo tribe, are a minority in the area. But Mikel said the kidnapping shocked him because his family never had any problems there before.

"I have always thought one day something like this can happen, but where my family lives is a very secure and safe place," he said.

Kidnappings in Plateau state are rare compared to Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, where militants and criminal gangs often kidnap foreigners for ransom.

• In 2008, gunmen abducted the younger brother of Everton defender Joseph Yobo. He was released unharmed two weeks later, though it was unclear if a ransom had been paid.