DSS arrests suspects linked to kidnap, killing of Prof. Ekanem Ephraim

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested suspected members of the gang believed to be responsible for the 2023 abduction and killing of neurologist Professor Ekanem Philip Ephraim.

A security source confirmed that the alleged gang leader, 23-year-old Patrick Essien Etim, and his accomplice, 40-year-old Bassey Antiha Asuquo, were picked up at a medical facility in Cross River State, where they were reportedly planning another kidnapping.

The source said the DSS had tracked the group since July 2023, when Professor Ephraim was abducted from her private clinic in Calabar by men who posed as patients.

According to the source, the suspects confessed to the crime and also admitted involvement in other kidnappings, as well as vandalizing electricity cables.

Another suspect, identified as Isaac Ekpeyong, was also arrested.

Professor Ephraim’s abduction had triggered protests across Cross River State and led the Nigeria Medical Association to declare an indefinite strike, demanding her safe return.

Describing the arrests as a major breakthrough, the source said the operation highlights the DSS’s renewed commitment to tackling crime and improving public safety.