The father of Super Eagles defender, Calvin Bassey, Mr Kingsley Ughelumba, has once again appealed for help to reunite with his four children, saying he has been estranged from them for more than 18 years.
Ughelumba renewed his emotional plea while recounting the long-standing separation from his children, which he attributed to unresolved marital issues between him and their mother, Mrs Ebere Bassey.
He said his first three sons—Elvis, Mathew and Calvin—were born in Italy, while the youngest, Michael, was born in Ireland. According to him, the family later lived briefly in London before the marriage collapsed.
Speaking in a viral interview, Ughelumba claimed that his wife left with the children while he was away at work, cutting off contact with them for several years.
“She only reached out in 2017 when the children needed Nigerian passports. I provided all the necessary documents and even bought their flight tickets. When they stayed with me then, I never told them anything negative about their mother,” he said.
He added that communication later broke down completely, especially after Calvin began progressing in his football career.
Calvin Bassey, who came through Leicester City’s youth system, rose to prominence at Rangers after joining the Scottish club in 2020. He later secured a record transfer to Ajax in 2022 before moving to Fulham in 2023. The defender has since become a regular for Nigeria, earning over 40 international caps.
Ughelumba recalled attempts to reconnect with his son, including a visit to Leicester during the COVID-19 period in 2020 and another effort during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, all of which he said were unsuccessful.
“I have not seen my children for a long time. I am dying in silence,” he said. “I don’t have any problem with my children. Even if I am a devil, I cannot be a devil where my children are.”
Bassey, who now bears his mother’s surname, has previously stated that he grew up without his father’s presence and chose his name as a tribute to his mother’s support throughout his career.
As of the time of filing this report, the Fulham defender had yet to respond to his father’s renewed appeal.
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