Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja — Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has announced a significant breakthrough in one of the country’s most high‑profile kidnappings, apprehending key suspects linked to the abduction and murder of Professor Ekanem Philip‑Ephraim nearly two and a half years after the crime shook the nation’s medical and academic communities.
Operatives of the DSS arrested the alleged leader of the kidnapping syndicate and his accomplices on 27 December 2025 in Cross River State, where they were reportedly planning another abduction targeting a senior medical practitioner at a medical facility.
The suspects include 23‑year‑old Patrick Essien Etim, identified as the alleged gang leader, and his 40‑year‑old accomplice, Bassey Antiha Asuquo. A third individual, Isaac Ekpeyong, was also taken into custody in connection with the network’s activities.
According to security sources, the DSS had been tracking the criminal network since Professor Ephraim’s abduction on 13 July 2023, when unidentified gunmen disguised as patients at her private clinic on Atimbo Road in Calabar, Cross River State, forced her into a vehicle and took her away. The incident prompted widespread outrage, particularly from the Cross River State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), whose members withdrew medical services in protest and demanded urgent action.
The suspects are reported to have confessed to their roles in the abduction and consequent murder of Professor Ephraim, admitting that she was killed after the family paid multiple ransom demands. Authorities say the confessions also implicate the group in additional kidnapping operations and other criminal acts, including the vandalisation of electricity infrastructure.
The arrest is being described by security analysts as a major operational success for the DSS. Officials cited the extensive surveillance and intelligence‑led tracking of the syndicate over a prolonged period. The suspects were apprehended while allegedly preparing to abduct another medical professional — a development that underscores the persistence of organised kidnapping networks even as security forces pursue them.
For Professor Ephraim’s family and colleagues, the arrests offer a measure of relief and the possibility of long‑awaited closure. Her disappearance and the ensuing uncertainty had inflicted deep psychological distress on loved ones and sparked national attention to the broader issue of insecurity faced by professionals in parts of Nigeria.
Though the DSS has yet to issue a formal public statement detailing every aspect of the arrests, multiple credible sources report that investigations remain ongoing. Security officials are expected to pursue further leads to uncover additional members of the network and any collaborators who may have facilitated the gang’s operations over the years.
Legal experts note that the confessions obtained will play a critical role in forthcoming prosecutions, but that due process and stringent evidence handling will be essential to securing convictions and reinforcing public confidence in the justice system.
Professor Ekanem Philip‑Ephraim’s abduction in 2023 had drawn sustained attention not only for her prominence in the medical field but also for what it revealed about the challenges facing professionals targeted by kidnapping syndicates. The operation’s success reflects evolving strategies within the DSS to disrupt criminal networks through covert intelligence operations and proactive enforcement, a shift authorities say will continue as security agencies work to dismantle kidnapping rings and enhance public safety nationwide.
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