Two Years On, Police Confirm Arrest of Three Suspects in Killing of Prof Ekanem
Nearly two years after the abduction and killing of a professor of neurology, Ekanem Ephraim, the Cross River State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of three suspected members of the kidnapping gang linked to the crime.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Rashid Afegbua, confirmed the development to journalists in Calabar on Monday, December 29, 2025. He, however, said details of the arrest were not immediately available to the police, as the suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Department of State Services.
“Yes, I am aware of the arrest of the suspects, but only the DSS that carried out the operation can provide full details,” Afegbua said.
Although the state Director of the DSS, Oluwole Faluyi, could not be reached for comment, a senior security source within the agency confirmed the arrest.
According to the source, who requested anonymity, the three suspects were arrested on Friday at a medical facility in Calabar while allegedly planning to abduct another medical practitioner. The source noted that prominent medical professionals in the state capital have been frequent targets of kidnapping syndicates.
The suspects were identified as Patrick Essien Etim, 23, Bassey Antiha Asuquo, 40, and Isaac Ekpeyong.
The source disclosed that the DSS had been tracking the kidnapping ring since the killing of Professor Ephraim in July 2023, when gunmen posing as patients abducted her from her private clinic.
“They have confessed to the crime, admitting that they killed the professor after collecting multiple ransom payments from her family,” the source said.
On whether the suspects would be handed over to the police, the source said the DSS would prosecute the case, adding that the suspects would not be transferred to the police.
Professor Ephraim, a consultant neurologist at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, was abducted on July 13, 2023, by armed men who disguised themselves as patients at her private clinic along Atimbo Road in Calabar.
Her abduction triggered widespread reactions across Cross River State, with members of the Nigerian Medical Association staging protests and demanding her immediate release.
It was also recalled that nine other suspects were earlier arrested in connection with the kidnapping and are currently in custody awaiting trial.
