Mother of Super Eagles winger Samuel Kalu released after being held for a week by kidnappers

KIDNAPPERS have released the mother of Bordeaux and Nigeria winger Samuel Kalu after holding her for nearly a week following her abduction in Abia State when she was snatched and a ransom of $40,000 was requested to set her free.

Last week, Mrs Juliet Kalu was seized from her car on February 27 as she travelled to her home in Abia state. Reports said the kidnappers demanded some N3m ($40,000) or €35,000 for her release but it was not yet known whether the money was paid or not.

Abia State Police Command spokesman Godfrey Ogbona, said: “She was released around midnight on Monday and she has been reunited with her people. Circumstances surrounding her release has not been disclosed to me for now but we are still investigating the incident in a bid towards ensuring that those who carried out the act are arrested and brought to book.”

Kalu, 21, said the kidnappers initially asked for N3m, then upped the demand to N15m, although it is not clear how much was paid. Kalu made a breakthrough into Nigeria’s national side in October last year, shortly after joining French Ligue 1 side Bordeaux from Belgian outfit Gent.

Kidnapping is commonplace across Nigeria and family members of prominent, wealthy individuals are regularly targeted and most are released within days after the money is paid. Last year, the father of Nigerian World Cup skipper Mikel Obi was kidnapped at gunpoint during the tournament but was released after payment of a N10m ransom.

Poverty is seen as a key driver of the phenomenon, with some one in four Nigerians unemployed and nearly half the country of 190m people living on less than $1.90 a day. Of late, kidnapping has spread to northern states in recent years.