On September 11, a Calabar magistrate’s court issued a remand order for nine men in connection with the alleged kidnapping of Professor Ekanem Phillip Ephraim, the director of neurology at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
On July 19, 2023, Dr. Ekanem was kidnapped somewhere near the Calabar neighborhood of Atimbo.
A 40-day strike over her kidnapping was recently put on hold by the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association.
The suspects are Okon Okon, 37; Effiom Edet, 20; Asuquo Edet, 45; Ndifreke Akpan, 29, and Effiom Edet, 60.
Effiong Edet, 35; Patience Etim, 21; Emmanuel Bassey, 35; and Bassey Edet, 20 are additional suspects.
They were accused of four counts of illegally possessing dangerous weapons and kidnapping.
For lack of jurisdiction, Magistrate Mercy Ene refused to accept the suspects’ plea.
The magistrate stated that the suspects were accused of violating Sections 4(1)(2), 2(b), and 5(1) of the 2015 Kidnapping (Prohibition) Law of Cross River State.
She cited section 12 of the law, which states that only the state high court has the authority to try any offense alleged to have violated this law.
The prosecutor, Edosa Ufumwen, a superintendent of police, then asked the magistrate to grant an exparte motion to remand the suspects in prison custody.
The magistrate then ruled that the suspects should be remanded in custody and postponed the case until September 25, 2023, when she would rule on the bail request.
