The leader of the gang that abducted and k!ll•ed renowned neurology professor Ekanem Philip Ephraim was taken into custody by Department of State Services (DSS) agents on Saturday. 

According to report, on July 13, 2023, Professor Ekanem, a consultant at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), was k!dn@.pped by unidentified gunmen who pretended to be patients at her private clinic on Atimbo Road in Calabar. 

In relation to the k!dnapping, nine suspects were taken into custody and are presently awaiting trial. 

On Monday, December 29, 2025, security analyst Zagazola Makama received confirmation from a reliable security source that the gang leader, Patrick Essien Etim, 23, and his accomplice, Bassey Antiha Asuquo, 40, were captured at a medical facility in Cross River State while plotting to abduct another prominent member of the medical community. 

The source claims that since Ephraim was k.!lled in July 2023 by gunmen posing as patients, the DSS has been monitoring the k!.dnapping ring. 

According to the source, the two have admitted to the crime, stating that they k!.lled the professor after obtaining several 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 disclosed. 

The suspects, alongside one Isaac Ekpeyong who was also arrested by DSS operatives, also owned up to k.!dnapping other victims and vandalizing electricity cables. 

Prof Ekanem’s kidnap sparked statewide protests by the state chapter of the Nigeria 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 the government to rescue the Professor. 

“This huge breakthrough underscores the commitment of the DSS in reverting to covertness in its operations and restoring public safety across the country,” declared the source.