The Federal Government has ordered security agencies, health institutions and other relevant authorities to tighten Ebola screening at Nigeria’s entry points following concerns over breaches of approved protocols, as investigations across several states revealed gaps in public awareness, infection-prevention facilities and emergency preparedness.
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The directive followed concerns raised by the Office of the National Security Adviser over alleged non-compliance with approved Ebola entry protocols amid heightened anxiety following the confirmation of an imported case in Abuja.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare also directed relevant agencies to document and report any actual or attempted breaches of the screening protocols.
The directive was contained in a circular dated October 22, 2026, with reference number PS/FMOH/08/VIII/48, signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollum, on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
According to the circular, institutions are required to comply strictly with screening procedures, health declaration requirements, surveillance measures and other applicable entry protocols.
“The ministry emphasised the need for consistent, effective and non-discriminatory enforcement of the approved measures to mitigate potential cross-border transmission and protect public health and national security,” the circular stated.
The ministry also directed agencies to improve coordination, communication and information-sharing to facilitate early detection and prompt response to potential health threats.
Institutions were further ordered to document and report any actual or attempted breach of the approved protocols and establish monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure sustained compliance.
The ministry warned against interference with personnel enforcing the measures and directed agencies to immediately circulate the advisory to their departments, operational units, field offices and personnel.
The circular, however, did not disclose the number of breaches recorded, the entry points affected or the nature of the alleged violations.
The fresh measures followed the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja.
The Federal Government said laboratory tests confirmed that a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
According to Pate, the patient arrived on an international flight from Uganda and was subsequently admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where she was treated for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.
The woman was placed in isolation and was receiving medical care, while public health teams commenced the tracing of 44 identified contacts, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts who may have been exposed.
Her husband, who travelled with her, was also placed in isolation but had not developed symptoms.
Questions, however, remain over where the patient contracted the virus.
Ugandan officials said she had travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo before passing through Uganda, while the World Health Organisation and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said they had not received verified information confirming the alleged visit.
Health authorities are continuing investigations into her movements and possible exposure.
The renewed Ebola alert has also raised questions about Nigeria’s preparedness.
In Lagos, an infectious disease isolation facility in Yaba previously used for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases has been converted for use by nursing students of Lagos State University.
During a visit to the facility, the gates were locked and security personnel denied access to the premises.
A security guard said the facility was now being used by nursing students, while a sign on one of the buildings read, “Lagos State University Nursing School.”
The findings did not establish whether the Lagos State Government had relocated its isolation services elsewhere or retained alternative emergency treatment capacity.
The Federal Government had earlier disclosed that 15 states had yet to update their Ebola preparedness and response plans.
Checks across Lagos, Ogun and Osun states showed growing concern among residents, with traders, commuters, commercial drivers, students and parents expressing fears over another major public health crisis.
Some residents complained about inadequate public enlightenment and uncertainty about how Ebola spreads and the appropriate preventive measures.
Others expressed scepticism about the confirmed case, highlighting the misinformation and distrust confronting public health authorities.
At markets, motor parks and other public spaces visited, basic handwashing facilities were either limited or absent in several locations.
Some schools in Osun State had begun sensitising pupils and students about infectious diseases, while students in some institutions said information about Ebola had been circulated without the introduction of additional preventive measures.
In Plateau State, hospitals had begun reactivating infection-prevention measures.
At the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau State Specialist Hospital, handwashing stations, sanitiser dispensers, temperature checks and information posters on Ebola symptoms and hygiene practices were observed at some entry points.
A senior nurse said patients were being screened for fever and relevant travel or exposure history before admission.
However, checks at markets and motor parks revealed gaps. Only two of the six entrances to Terminus Market had functional handwashing buckets, while none was observed at Farin Gada Market.
At Bauchi Road Motor Park, transport union officials said drivers had been advised to observe preventive measures, although no water or sanitiser dispensers were observed in vehicles or at the park’s office.
The Plateau State Government said Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers were active across its 17 local government areas and that the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre had been activated.
In Nasarawa State, the government said it was working to procure personal protective equipment for frontline health workers across the state’s 13 local government areas.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan, said the state was strengthening preparedness because of its proximity to Abuja.
“We are trying to procure some PPEs and preposition them across our healthcare facilities and also improve the index of suspicion for all the healthcare workers,” he said.
Kano State also directed public, private, faith-based and military health facilities to enforce infection-prevention and control measures, including hand hygiene, proper use of protective equipment, environmental sanitation, safe injection practices and medical waste management.
Yobe State said it had strengthened surveillance, isolation facilities and contact-tracing systems across its 17 local government areas, with isolation centres established in Bade, Potiskum and Damaturu.
In Benue State, checks showed that some residents were unaware of the confirmed case, while no handwashing facilities were observed in some public areas of Modern Market.
The Benue State University Teaching Hospital had issued a memo advising staff to observe personal hygiene, although no additional protocols had been introduced for staff and patients at the time.
The state government, however, said it had strengthened surveillance and mobilised Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers across its 23 local government areas.
In Jigawa State, public awareness varied across Dutse, Birnin Kudu and Kiyawa, although handwashing facilities were available in most hospitals, markets, motor parks and schools visited.
The state Ministry of Health said it had intensified public sensitisation and introduced preventive measures in line with national guidelines.
In Kwara State, checks at Sobi Specialist Hospital, Alagbado and Awodi Primary Healthcare Centre, as well as markets and motor parks in Ilorin, showed no visible handwashing facilities at the locations visited.
The state Ministry of Health nevertheless said it had reviewed its preparedness and response plans, while technical teams responsible for surveillance, risk communication, infection prevention, laboratory services, logistics and case management were directed to complete outstanding activities.
The state said it had recorded no suspected Ebola case but was monitoring passengers of interest travelling to Kwara.
At Gombe airport, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria introduced temperature checks for travellers and activated emergency operations with relevant agencies.
Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Adamu-Danladi Bojude, said there was no person of interest for Ebola in the state as of the latest update.
He said anyone subsequently identified as a person of interest would be monitored for 21 days, while suspected cases would be isolated and referred for appropriate treatment.
The government also planned a joint risk assessment and activation of an Ebola technical working group.
Kaduna State said it was strengthening health facility preparedness and public awareness, with campaigns planned at motor parks, railway stations and other major entry points.
In Sokoto, residents expressed mixed reactions, with some demanding greater public enlightenment while others questioned the credibility of the alert.
Checks at hospitals, markets and schools showed varying levels of awareness and limited visible preventive measures.
The Sokoto State Government had yet to issue an official statement on its preparedness at the time of the report.
Ebola Virus Disease is a severe illness transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person or animal, or through contaminated materials.
Symptoms can include fever, headache and muscle pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea and, in severe cases, bleeding.
The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, and infected persons are generally not infectious before symptoms appear.
Nigeria recorded 20 Ebola cases and eight deaths during the 2014 outbreak after an infected traveller introduced the virus into Lagos.
The outbreak was eventually contained through coordinated surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and other public health interventions.
The confirmation of the latest imported case has renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s preparedness, particularly as the Federal Government moves to address reported breaches of Ebola screening protocols at entry points and strengthen state-level response measures.
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