The kidnapped father of the Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi was freed on Monday after detectives traced him to a city in northern Nigeria.

Olusola Amore, a police spokesman, said investigators followed Michael Obi's trail from central Nigeria's Plateau state to Kano, one of the nation's largest cities. Officers raided the area where Obi was held, freeing him and arresting a number of kidnappers, Amore said.

Mikel's management company confirmed Michael Obi's release. "yesterday, Michael Obi called his family to advise them that he had been released by his abductors.

"Mikel John Obi would like to thank everyone in Nigeria, his family and friends, Chelsea FC and their fans and his agents for their total support during this terrible time."

The statement does not reveal whether a ransom was paid.

Michael Obi was kidnapped on 12 August while on his way home from work in the central Nigerian city of Jos.