DSS Nabs Suspected Gang Leader Linked to Abduction Murder of Calabar Professor

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The Department of State Services (DSS) has captured a suspected gang leader believed to be responsible for the abduction and killing of a prominent neurology professor in Cross River State, nearly two years after the tragic event.

Identified as 23-year-old Patrick Essien Etim, the suspect was apprehended alongside an alleged accomplice, 40-year-old Bassey Antiha Asuquo, at a medical facility in the state. Sources confirmed that the arrests followed months of intelligence-led investigations and surveillance targeting the criminal network.

Authorities revealed that the DSS had been tracking the gang since the professor’s death in July 2023. Reports indicate that the suspects had posed as patients before abducting the professor from her private clinic in Calabar.

Shockingly, despite receiving several ransom payments from the victim’s family, the gang proceeded to murder the professor, a revelation that left the community and law enforcement stunned.

During interrogations, the suspects reportedly admitted to their involvement in both the kidnapping and the murder. A senior DSS official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the arrests bring relief and closure to the professor’s grieving family. “For nearly two years, her family lived with pain and uncertainty. This arrest offers them the opportunity for closure and reassurance that justice is finally taking its course,” the official stated.

Investigations suggest that the suspects may also be connected to other criminal acts in Cross River State, including additional kidnappings and damage to public electricity infrastructure. Another individual, Isaac Ekpeyong, has reportedly been taken into custody in connection with these crimes.

The late Professor Ekanem Philip Ephraim was kidnapped on July 13, 2023, by armed men who disguised themselves as patients at her private clinic along Atimbo Road in Calabar. Her disappearance ignited outrage across the state, especially among the medical community.

In response, the Cross River State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) staged statewide protests and called an indefinite strike, halting healthcare services for over a week to demand her safe release.

Security authorities have confirmed that the suspects will be formally charged in court once investigations conclude, while efforts continue to apprehend other members of the criminal network.