Coach of the Nigeria U-23 team Samson Siasia has been left in shock after his 72-year-old mother, Mrs Beauty Siasia, was kidnapped by a trio of hoodlums in the village of Odoni in Bayelsa State.

The development has left Siasia confused, and put in jeopardy Nigeria's preparations for the African U-23 Championship in Senegal.

The ex-Super Eagles coach and former Nigeria international, pleaded for the release of his mom, who is said to be the only one tending to her visually impaired husband at home.

"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," Siasia said.

"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."

The Nigeria Football Federation has also expressed shock at the situation and pleaded for the aged woman's release.

"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 Nations training camp. Why this?," NFF president Amaju Pinnick asked rhetorically in a report on thenff.com.

"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."

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