• NFF appeals for her release
National U-23 team coach, Samson Siasia, is confused following the kidnapping of his 72 –year old mother, Mrs. Ogere Siasia, who was abducted by three men on motorbike in Odoni Village, Bayelsa State on Monday.
Coach Siasia is in The Gambia with the team on a ten-day training tour ahead of their qualifiers for Rio 2016 Olympics men’s football event, when the incident took place.
A distressed Siasia said his mother happened to be the only one at home in his village taking care of his father who is visually impaired.
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.”
Coach Siasia confirmed that the incident has been reported to the police in Bayelsa State.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation has appealed passionately to the kidnappers to release the old woman.
On learning of the unfortunate incident yesterday morning, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, was downcast.
“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.”
