Mikel John Obi's father kidnapped hours before Nigeria's last World Cup match

There was a far greater burden on Mikel John Obi's mind than his desire to keep Nigeria's World Cup dream alive in the hours leading up to the team's final group stage match against Argentina.

Just four hours before kickoff last Tuesday, the Nigeria captain received an alarming phone call informing him that his father had been abducted and that kidnappers were demanding a ransom worth N10 Million ($28,000) for his safe return, he told Colin Udoh of KweseESPN.

Mikel received the news from a family member before speaking with the abductors, who threatened to shoot his father, Pa Michael Obi, if the incident was reported to police.

"I played while my father was in the hands of bandits,” Mikel told David Hynter of the Guardian. "I had to suppress the trauma."

The kidnapping occurred as Pa Michael Obi was on his way to a funeral in south-east Nigeria. Nigerian police were eventually able to secure his release following a week in captivity.

Despite the stress of the situation, Mikel kept the incident to himself to avoid distracting Nigeria's coaching staff and players ahead of a match that would have resulted in a berth to the knockout stage if the African team avoided a loss to Argentina.

"I was emotionally distraught and I had to make the decision about whether I was mentally ready to play. I was confused. I did not know what to do but, in the end, I knew that I could not let 180 million Nigerians down," Mikel said. "I had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first. I could not even inform the coaches or NFF staff and only a very tight circle of my friends knew."

Nigeria ultimately lost in heartbreaking fashion after Marcos Rojo's late goal secured a 2-1 victory for Argentina to knock the Super Eagles out of the World Cup.

Mikel added that his father, who was also kidnapped in August 2011, is currently in the hospital receiving treatment.

"Thankfully, my father was safely released on Monday afternoon," Mikel said. "I thank the police authorities for their rescue efforts and the support I’ve received from friends and family members. Unfortunately, my dad is now in hospital receiving emergency treatment as a result of the torture he received during his capture."

The rescue took place Monday, with superintendent of police Ebere Amaraizu revealing that a "gun duel" ensued as authorities confronted the captors.

"The abductors started calling to demand a ransom of N10 million before police operatives acted on intelligence information and swooped on them," Amaraizu said.

"In the process of the rescue, a gun duel ensued between police operatives and the kidnappers which forced the hoodlums to abandon their victims inside the forest and they were promptly rescued."