By Our Reporter
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have on 27 December 2025, reportedly arrested the leader of a gang and one another, who kidnapped and murdered a prominent Professor of Neurology, Mrs Ekanem Philip-Ephraim in 2023, in Calabar, Cross River State.
The gang leader, Patrick Essien Etim, 23, and his accomplice, Bassey Antiha Asuquo, 40, were apprehended at a medical facility in the State while planning to kidnap another medical bigwig.
According to the source, the DSS had been tracking the kidnap ring since Mrs Ephraim’s killing in July 2023, when gunmen posing as patients abducted her.
The duo has confessed to the crime, admitting that they killed the Professor after collecting multiple ransom payments from her family.
“It has been two years of torment for her loved ones, not knowing what happened to the Professer. I believe that, with this arrest, her family and loved ones will be able to finally have some peace and the much needed closure that they deserve,” the source said.
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The suspects also owned up to kidnapping other victims and vandalising electricity cables, with one Isaac Ekpenyong, who was also arrested by the operatives, according to the sources.
Recall that Professor Ekanem, a Neurologist with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), was abducted on 13 July 2023 by unknown gunmen who posed as patients at her private clinic at Atimbo Road, Calabar.
Her abduction sparked statewide protests by the state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA). The medical association had embarked on an indefinite strike, which crippled the health sector for over a week, in a bid to prevail on government to rescue the Professor.
The state government under the leadership of Governor Bassey Otu, placed N5 million reward for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the kidnappers.
“This huge breakthrough underscores the commitment of the DSS in reverting to covertness in its operations and restoring public safety across the country,” declared the source.
