The Department of State Services (DSS) has apprehended the suspected killers of Professor Ekanem Philip Ephraim, a Professor of Neurology, nearly two years after her tragic murder.
A credible source confirmed the suspects as 24-year-old gang leader Patrick Essien Etim and his 40-year-old accomplice Bassey Antiha Asuquo. They were arrested on December 27 at a medical facility in Cross River State while allegedly planning to kidnap another prominent medical professional.
The DSS had been tracking the gang since Ephraim’s abduction and murder in July 2023, when gunmen posing as patients abducted her. The suspects reportedly confessed to killing the professor after repeatedly collecting 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 be able to finally have some peace and the much-needed closure that they deserve,” the source said.
The suspects also admitted to other crimes, including kidnapping additional victims and vandalizing electricity cables. Another gang member, Isaac Ekpeyong, was also arrested by DSS operatives.
Professor Ephraim’s kidnapping in July 2023 triggered statewide protests led by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which staged an indefinite strike that crippled healthcare services in Cross River State for over a week, demanding her safe rescue.
