Dare Babalola
The Department of State Services has arrested two suspected kidnappers allegedly involved in the 2023 abduction and murder of Cross River State neurology professor, Ekanem Philip-Ephraim.
Recall that Philip-Ephraim was abducted on July 13, 2023, from her Calabar office in Cross River State, and was later confirmed killed by her captors.
According to the then Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Cross River State, Dr Felix Archibong, the kidnappers disguised themselves as patients and, while she was attending to them, brought out weapons and whisked her away at about 7:15 p.m.
Her abduction led the state chapter of the NMA to withdraw medical services in protest, demanding her rescue.
Officials of the DSS, who spoke to Punch on condition of anonymity on Monday, said the suspects—identified as 23-year-old gang leader, Patrick Essien Etim, and Bassey Antiha Asuquo, 40—were arrested on December 27 at a medical facility in the state while allegedly planning to kidnap another senior medical practitioner.
An official revealed the DSS had been tracking the gang since Philip-Ephraim’s July 2023 abduction by armed men posing as patients at her Atimbo Road clinic in Calabar.
“Our operatives, on December 27, arrested the leader of the gang and another suspect who kidnapped and murdered a prominent professor of neurology, Ekanem Philip-Ephraim, in 2023.
“The gang leader, Patrick Essien Etim, 23, and his accomplice, Bassey Antiha Asuquo, 40, were apprehended at a medical facility in Cross River State.
“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 professor. I believe that, with this arrest, her family and loved ones will finally have some peace and the closure they deserve,” the source said.
The source added that the suspects also confessed to kidnapping other victims and vandalising electricity cables.
Another suspect, identified as Isaac Ekpeyong, was also arrested by DSS operatives.
According to the source, the arrests reflect the DSS’ continued efforts to disrupt criminal networks and enhance public safety.
“This huge breakthrough underscores the commitment of the DSS in reverting to covertness in its operations and restoring public safety across the country,” the source said.
