Mikel kidnap gang 'wanted $4bn'

Two Nigerian soldiers who kidnapped Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel’s father at one point demanded a $4bn (€2.77bn) ransom they considered “chicken change” for the team.

The soldiers belonged to a task force assigned to guard Jos, an area beset by ethnic and religious violence that has killed thousands over the last decade. But instead of keeping the peace, the soldiers used a military vehicle to stop Michael Obi as he drove home from work on August 12, Plateau state police commissioner Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni said.