Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested members of the gang responsible for the abduction and killing of Professor Ekanem Ephraim, a neurology professor murdered in 2023, security sources have said.
The alleged gang leader, Patrick Etim, 23, and an accomplice, Bassey Asuquo, 40, were arrested on Saturday at a medical facility in Cross River State while allegedly planning the kidnap of another senior medical professional.
A third suspect, Isaac Ekpeyong, was also apprehended.
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According to the source, the DSS had been tracking the syndicate since July 2023, when gunmen posing as patients abducted Ephraim from her private clinic along Atimbo Road, Calabar.
The suspects reportedly confessed to abducting the professor and killing her after collecting multiple ransom payments from her family.
They also admitted involvement in other kidnapping operations and the vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
Ephraim’s abduction on 13 July 2023 triggered widespread outrage in Cross River State and led to protests by the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
The association embarked on an indefinite strike that paralysed healthcare services in the state for more than a week as pressure mounted on authorities to secure her release.
A security source described the arrests as a major breakthrough, noting that they could bring long-awaited closure to the professor’s family after nearly two years of uncertainty.
The development, the source added, reflects the DSS’s renewed emphasis on covert operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and improving public safety nationwide.
