Calvin Bassey’s father, Kingsley Ughelumba, has again cried out for help, seeking to reunite with his four children, including the Super Eagles defender, whom he says he has been separated from for over 18 years.

Ughelumba reopened his long-running appeal, speaking about the painful estrangement from his children, which he attributed to a rift between him and their mother, Ebere Bassey.

Two years ago, Bassey’s father had publicly spoken about being cut off from his children’s lives. He has now returned with another emotional plea, saying he is “dying in silence” and still hoping for reconciliation.

The native of Ihiala Local Government Area in Anambra State said his first three sons—Elvis Ughelumba, Mathew Ughelumba and Calvin—were born in Italy, while his youngest son, Michael, was born in Ireland. According to him, the family lived together briefly in London before marital issues led to their separation.

“We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work and before I returned, she had left with the children,” Ughelumba said in a viral social media interview.

“She only reached out in 2017 when my children needed Nigerian passports. I sent all my documents and bought all their flight tickets. When they stayed with me then, I never told them their mum did anything to me. She has muted me since he signed for a football club.”

Bassey, a product of Leicester City’s youth system, rose to prominence after joining Rangers on a free transfer in July 2020. He made 65 appearances over two seasons for the Scottish giants, winning the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup.

In July 2022, he joined Dutch side Ajax in a deal worth €23m, the highest transfer fee in Rangers’ history at the time. A year later, he signed for English Premier League club Fulham for €22m.

The 26-year-old made his Nigeria debut in March 2022 during the 2022 World Cup play-off against Ghana and has since earned 43 caps, establishing himself as a dependable defender at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Before breaking into senior football, Bassey was often listed under his father’s surname, Ughelumba, in team sheets. However, as his career progressed, he adopted his mother’s surname and has consistently credited her for supporting his journey.

“He’s just not in my life — we lived with him, but that was when I was really young,” Bassey once said when asked about his father.

“Since I was six, it has been mum and us boys. I knew that if I got the chance to put my name on the back of a shirt, I wanted it to be my mum’s name—my way of saying thank you.”

A heartbroken Ughelumba also recounted several failed attempts to reconnect with his children since 2020.

“I have not seen my children for a long time,” he said.

“During COVID in 2020, I drove all the way from London to Leicester when Calvin was playing there. I wasn’t looking for him because he was a footballer; I wanted to see my first son, but I didn’t have access because their mother had changed everything. I didn’t have their numbers or anything.”

“When I got to Leicester City, the club welcomed me and called Calvin. There was a name I used to call him when he was small—‘Biggy’. When they called him that, he responded immediately.”

“I spoke to him and he gave me an address. When I got there and he saw me, he called his mum and afterwards he changed. He got upset and told me to say whatever I wanted to say and leave. He said he didn’t want to see me again and drove off.”

Ughelumba further revealed that he travelled from Italy to Abidjan during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to try once more to see his son.

“During Nigeria vs Angola, a journalist helped link me with the football federation. They gave me tickets and I watched the match. After that, I went to Abuja to try again, but I still didn’t see him,” he said.

“Since then, I have been dying in silence. I don’t have any problems with my children—it’s just their mum that made me feel bad. Even if I am a devil, I can’t be a devil where my children are.”

As of the time of filing this report, the Fulham defender was yet to respond to his father’s claims.