Soccer: Kidnapped Lecce midfielder freed in Nigeria

Isoko, 11 June (AKI) - Nigerian security forces freed footballer Christian Obodo in a raid late Sunday, 24 hours after he was kidnapped in his native city of Warri. It was not immediately clear if a ransom was paid for the 28-year-old Lecce midfielder's release.

Obodo was rescued at the nearby town of Isoko in an operation carried out by Nigerian police, said Ikechukwu Aduba, police chief of the surrounding Nile Delta state of Warri, in the southeaset of the country.

Obodo unharmed by his ordeal and was good health, Abduba said, adding that "some suspects" were arrested during the oepration. He did not elaborate.

Obodo's family said his kidnappers had demanded 150,000 euros for his release. He was abducted soon after he arrived in Nigeria from Italy for a visit to his family.

At the time of his kidnap, he was driving alone in a car with vanity plates on it, according to local media reports.