Ebola: NSA Sounds Fresh Alarm On Lax Screening At Airports
The Federal Government has raised concerns over reported breaches of Ebola screening protocols at the nation’s entry points, ordering security agencies, health institutions and other relevant authorities to tighten surveillance and ensure strict compliance with measures designed to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
The fresh directive followed concerns raised by the Office of the National Security Adviser over reported non-compliance with approved Ebola entry protocols, amid growing anxiety over the confirmation of an imported case in Abuja.
It was gathered that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had directed relevant agencies to document and report actual or attempted breaches of the protocols.
The development came as investigations by our correspondents across several states revealed gaps in public awareness, infection prevention facilities and emergency preparedness, despite assurances by state governments that they had intensified surveillance.
In Lagos, it was discovered that an infectious disease isolation facility in Yaba, previously used for the management of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, had been converted into a nursing school facility.
Checks also revealed that some states were still making arrangements to procure protective equipment, while several markets, motor parks and other public places lacked basic handwashing facilities.
The Federal Government had earlier disclosed that 15 states had yet to update their Ebola preparedness and response plans.
The fresh 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.
The circular, obtained by our correspondent on Friday, stated that the directive followed concerns raised by the Office of the National Security Adviser over reported non-compliance with the Federal Government-approved Ebola entry protocols.
It stressed the need for consistent, effective and non-discriminatory enforcement of preventive measures to protect public health and national security.
The ministry directed relevant institutions to comply strictly with prescribed 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 ordered improved coordination, communication and information-sharing among agencies to facilitate early detection and prompt responses to potential public health threats.
Under the directive, institutions must document and report any actual or attempted breach of the approved protocols through established channels.
They are also expected to support enforcement officials and establish monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure sustained compliance.
The ministry warned against interference with personnel enforcing the protocols and directed agencies to circulate the advisory immediately to their departments, operational units, field offices and personnel.
The circular, however, did not specify the number of reported breaches, the entry points affected or the nature of the alleged violations.
The heightened security and public health measures followed Tuesday’s confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja.
The Federal Government said laboratory tests established that a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
According to Pate, the patient arrived on an international flight from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.
The minister said the woman had been placed in isolation and was receiving medical care.
He added that public health teams had commenced tracing 44 identified contacts while working to identify other people who might have been exposed, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts.
The patient was subsequently identified as a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman believed to be the wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the Swiss government said the woman was believed to have contracted the virus while travelling in Uganda.
Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs disclosed that she had spent about a week at a private clinic in Abuja with symptoms before her diagnosis was confirmed.
Her husband, who travelled with her, was also placed in isolation but had not developed symptoms.
However, the source of the woman’s infection remained unclear as health authorities investigated her movements and possible exposure.
Ugandan officials said she had travelled to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo before passing through Uganda, but the World Health Organisation and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said they had not received verified information confirming the visit.
