Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested the suspected killers of a Professor of Neurology, Ekanem Philip Ephraim, nearly two years after her murder.
Reports quoting a source confirmed on Monday morning, identifying the gang leader as 24-year-old Patrick Essien Etim and his accomplice, Bassey Antiha Asuquo, 40.
The suspects were apprehended at a medical facility in Cross River State on December 27, while planning to kidnap another medical top shot.
According to the source, the DSS had been tracking the kidnap ring since Ephraim’s killing in July 2023, when gunmen posing as patients abducted her.
The duo was said to have 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 be able to finally have some peace and the much-needed closure that they deserve,” the source said.
“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 noted that the suspects admitted to kidnapping other victims and vandalizing electricity cables, with one Isaac Ekpeyong, who was also arrested by the operatives, according to the sources.
Professor Ekanem was abducted on July 13, 2023 by unknown gunmen who posed as patients at her private clinic on Atimbo Road, Calabar.
Her kidnapping sparked statewide protests by the State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
The medical association had embarked on an indefinite strike, which crippled the health sector for over a week, in a bid to prevail on government to rescue the professor.
