ABUJA, July 16 (Xinhua/GNA) – Mother of Samson Siasia, former national coach of Nigeria’s football team, was on Monday kidnapped by gunmen in the southern part of the country, local police said.
The victim, Beauty Ogere Siasia, was taken away by armed men from her home in Odoni town of Sagbama local government area of the southern state of Bayelsa. The incident occurred at about 2 a.m. local time, said Butswat Asinim, the state police spokesperson.
It is the second time the 76-year-old woman has been abducted in four years. In November 2015, she was abducted by gunmen who released her after 12 days in captivity.
Local sources at the time said an undisclosed amount was paid in ransom to her abductors.
Asinim said a team of security operatives had commenced a thorough search for the victim.
Her son, a Nigerian former football striker, was the coach of the team which won the silver medal of the football event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics held in China.
He was also the coach of the country’s main football team from 2010 to October 2011. He was reappointed in 2016.