May 29, 2026
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned that Nigeria is at high risk of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) importation. Dr. Jide Idris, the Centre’s Director-General, made this assertion on Sunday, May 24, 2026, following a risk assessment triggered by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that had killed 88 people, plus a reported imported case in Uganda. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared this outbreak a global public health emergency. Nigeria currently has no confirmed cases, but the NCDC warns that international travel and cross-border movement make importation highly likely.
This warning echoes the ghost of 2014. Nigeria’s experience with Ebola began on July 20, 2014, when Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American diplomat infected with Ebola, flew into Lagos Airport. He collapsed at the airport, was taken to First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende. He died five days later. His arrival set off a chain that infected 19 people, killing 7. Four healthcare workers contracted Ebola while treating Sawyer and died in the line of duty. Dr. Stella Adadevoh, a consultant physician and endocrinologist at First Consultant, heroically refused to allow Sawyer to discharge himself against medical advice, preventing what could have been a catastrophic outbreak.
