Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu
By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
Cross River State Government has placed a reward of N5 million for anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the kidnappers of Prof. Ekanem Ephraim, a Neurologist with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), who was abducted from her residence on July 13, 2023.
In the last three months since Governor Bassey Otu was sworn in, there have been several cases of kidnappings, including that of Doctor Ephraim, who is still in the kidnappers’ den.
In a bid to work with the people to ensure the release of Ephraim and quell other criminal activities in the state, the government has established the Whistleblowing Desk, which is domiciled in the office of the State Security Adviser, Governor’s Office, Calabar.
In an interview with our Correspondent in Calabar, Commander Patrick Odiong (Rtd), Special Adviser on Security (South) to the Governor, said the Whistleblowing Desk is to reward and protect anyone with credible information that can lead to the release of Doctor Ephraim and the arrest of her kidnappers.
He said the reward for the release of Ephraim is N5m while other cases attract N1m rewards.
“The Whistle Blowing Desk is for anyone who has credible information about the kidnappers of the medical doctor. The person will be rewarded and protected.
“The reward is N5m to anyone that will give us credible information that will lead to the release of the doctor and the arrest of the kidnappers.
“The N5m is the reward for the doctor only while other cases attract N1m,” Odion said.
He further stated that the Whistleblowing Desk is for security purposes only. “Whistleblowing is a strategy for combating crime, especially corruption and its practices”, he added.
