Monarch escapes as gunmen kidnap Samson Siasia’s mother

One day after celebrating his escape from a plane crash, Samson Siasia, head coach of the U-23 team is devastated, as gunmen abducted his 72-year-old mother from her residence in Bayelsa in the wee hours of Monday.

Unlike Gabriel Akah, paramount ruler of Gbarain kingdom in Yenagoa, whose abduction was foiled by youths and security operatives, the kidnappers of Siasia’s mother left unchallenged.

Asinim Butswat, police public relations officer in the state, said the septuagenarian was abducted around 2am on Monday.

“They went to the residence of one Mrs Beauty Siasia 72 years, at Odoni Community in Sagbama LGA, and abducted her to an unknown destination,” he told reporters.

According to reports, the septuagenarian was taken away on a motorcycle.

Butswat added that the command had intensified efforts to secure her release and arrest her kidnappers.

Siasia has appealed to the abductors to release his mother.

“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,” he told reporters.

“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.”

Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), has also expressed concern over the incident.

“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 Nationstraining camp. Why this?” he asked in a statement posted on the federation’s website.

“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.”