“He has been rescued and we have five suspects in our net as a result of it,” Delta state police spokesman Charles Muka said. He said police staged a raid on Sunday night after trailing the kidnappers to their hideout.

In addition to the five arrests, an AK-47 rifle was recovered, Muka said. The Italy-based midfielder was kidnapped by four men in Effurun in Delta state on Saturday morning. His kidnappers had demanded a ransom of about $188,000 (149,000 euros).