DSS Arrests Gang Leader Responsible for Abduction and Murder of Calabar Professor

Nearly two years after the kidnapping and death of renowned neurology professor Ekanem Philip Ephraim, agents of the Department of State Services (DSS) have detained the accused gang leader.

According to reports, the main suspect, Patrick Essien Etim, 23, and his accomplice, Bassey Antiha Asuquo, 40, were taken into custody at a Cross River State medical facility.

A security source told Daily Trust that the arrest was the result of ongoing intelligence-led investigations by the DSS, which had been monitoring the kidnapping syndicate’s operations since the professor’s death in July 2023.

The source added that before kidnapping the professor from her private medical facility in Calabar, the suspects had pretended to be patients.

The insider claimed that since the professor’s tragic death in 2023, the DSS had been pursuing the gang.

According to investigations, the accused killed the deceased despite receiving many ransom payments from her relatives.

During questioning, the two allegedly admitted to the crime, acknowledging their role in the professor’s kidnapping and death.

After years of uncertainty, the victim’s family was relieved by the arrest, according to a DSS source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Her loved ones have suffered for the past two years because they are unaware of the professor’s whereabouts. The insider stated, “I think that her family and loved ones will be able to finally have some peace and the much-needed closure that they deserve with this arrest.”

According to reports, the accused also acknowledged committing further crimes, such as kidnapping more victims and damaging electrical connections in certain areas of the state.

According to security officials, Isaac Ekpeyong, another suspect, was also taken into custody in relation to the crimes.

Remember that on July 13, 2023, armed men posing as patients at Professor Ephraim’s private clinic on Atimbo Road in Calabar kidnapped her?

Outrage over her kidnapping spread throughout Cross River State, especially among the medical community.

In order to put pressure on the government and security services to gain her return, the Nigeria Medical Association’s Cross River State branch organized nationwide demonstrations and started an indefinite strike after she vanished.

For more than a week, the state’s healthcare system was severely hampered by the industrial action, as physicians withdrew their services in support of their kidnapped colleague.

As operations continue to dismantle the remaining members of the criminal network, security sources said the suspects would be charged following the end of investigations.