· Says state on alert to prevent, detect threats
· NCDC approves ₦100,000 weekly stipend for contacts
· Emergency support to cover feeding, accommodation, family upkeep
By Francis Ekeh, Hosea Parah And Wumi Oyehan
The Lagos State Government has reiterated its readiness to prevent, detect and respond to potential Ebola threats, urging residents to remain calm and vigilant just as the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has approved the sum of N100,000 as weekly emergency stipend for Ebola contacts to cover feeding, accommodation and family upkeep
The Lagos state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement on Sunday assured residents that there was no Ebola case in Lagos.
Abayomi’s reassurance followed the confirmation of an imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus in Abuja.
He disclosed that the state Ministry of Health, through its Directorate of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, was strengthening disease surveillance, risk communication and community engagement.
According to him, the state is also collaborating with agencies at points of entry, including the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), to enhance early detection and response to suspected cases.
“As part of its preparedness efforts, the State has conducted a strategic engagement and assessment at MMIA with airport management, Port Health Services and other aviation and public health stakeholders.
“The engagement focused on passenger screening, information sharing, infection prevention and control, and coordination of emergency response measures.
“The ministry is also intensifying public enlightenment through educational materials on Ebola, its symptoms, transmission and prevention,” Abayomi said.
“Ebola Virus Disease is a severe illness that can be fatal. It spreads primarily through direct contact with the blood and other body fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms, contaminated materials, or the bodies of people who have died from the disease. Infection may also occur through contact with infected animals”, he added.
The commissioner advised residents to avoid contact with potentially infectious materials and rely on verified information rather than rumours or speculation.
He explained that Ebola symptoms might develop between two and 21 days after exposure and include fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
The commissioner added that unexplained bleeding or bruising might occur in some cases.
He said, “As early symptoms can resemble malaria and other common illnesses.
“Residents who become unwell, particularly after possible exposure or travel from an area with active transmission, should seek prompt medical assessment.”
In line with Lagos State’s fever-management policy, Abayomi advised anyone with a fever to undergo a malaria rapid diagnostic test before taking antimalarial medicines.
“Where the test is negative, a healthcare professional should assess other possible causes and determine appropriate treatment.”
Abayomi also advised residents to wash their hands regularly, avoid contact with the body fluids of sick persons, refrain from handling potentially contaminated materials and avoid contact with sick or dead wild animals.
He appealed to travelers arriving in Nigeria, particularly from areas reporting Ebola transmission, to cooperate with Port Health Services and other authorised officials.
The commissioner urged them to provide accurate travel and health information when requested, and comply with applicable public health guidance.
“Anyone who develops symptoms during travel or after arrival should promptly notify the appropriate health personnel and seek guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.”
He emphasized that airlines and airport operators should sustain established public health protocols, while travelers should consult official advisories from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
The commissioner also urged travelers to consult the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for current guidance.
“Anyone who suspects exposure to Ebola, especially following contact with a suspected or confirmed case, should promptly contact public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.
“Suspected cases or relevant exposure concerns in Lagos may be reported through the State’s emergency numbers, 112 or 767.” He advised adding that exposures could also be reported to the Directorate of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health, on 08023169485.
The commissioner stated that the Lagos government would continue to monitor developments, strengthen surveillance and response readiness, coordinate with relevant stakeholders and provide verified updates as necessary.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, yesterday announced the approval of an emergency payment of N100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, explaining that the financial intervention was introduced after some contacts raised concerns about the cost of feeding, accommodation and maintaining their families while undergoing mandatory public health monitoring.
Idris said the measure was intended to ease the financial burden on individuals identified as contacts of the confirmed Ebola patient and ensure their cooperation with public health authorities.
“We are paying for their accommodation; we are paying for their feeding. Some of them are asking for a stipend to maintain their families,” he said.
He added: “We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining.”
The NCDC chief described the payment as an emergency intervention that was not part of the agency’s original response plan but had become necessary under the prevailing circumstances.
“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” he said.
Idris warned that the responsibility for financing emergency public health interventions should not rest solely on the FCT, stressing that state governments must make adequate financial and logistical provisions to respond to similar outbreaks.
“This is not the responsibility of the FCT alone. What we have to do for the FCT, we have to do for any other state, just in case,” he said.
According to him, state authorities must be prepared to provide the resources, personnel and materials required for contact tracing, isolation and other emergency response activities within their jurisdictions.
The warning comes as health authorities intensify surveillance and containment measures following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20.
Nigeria had recorded one confirmed case as of the briefing, with 53 primary contacts identified for monitoring, according to Idris.
The contacts include healthcare workers, household members, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.
He said public health teams were categorising the contacts according to their levels of exposure and conducting follow-up checks, while anyone who developed symptoms would be promptly assessed and tested.
The NCDC has also established isolation arrangements for contacts who require them, with health officials monitoring their condition throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.
Idris disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, adding that surveillance and follow-up activities remained ongoing.
The agency is also strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, training health personnel and supporting the availability of protective equipment and laboratory supplies.
Meanwhile, the NCDC boss said there was one suspected case that was reported by Rivers State on October 23.
Laboratory results, however, returned negative for Ebola disease.
The result has been communicated to the state.
On Sun, Oct 25, 2026 at 10:32 PM Obinna Nwachukwu
EDITORIAL
The unanswered questions about 37 Niger state dead miners
Nigerians and indeed, the world, were deeply concerned by reports of the death of 37 illegal miners following their arrest and detention by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
While reports differ on the precise number of fatalities, the NSCDC has confirmed that deaths occurred among persons taken into its custody. Media reports have also cited a survivor alleging that dozens of detainees were confined in an overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell and that detainees struggled to breathe.
These allegations are extremely grave and must be subjected to an immediate, independent and transparent investigation.
The question of whether those arrested were engaged in illegal mining is entirely a different matter. It has nothing to do with the government’s obligation to protect citizen’s lives and dignity while in custody. Persons arrested on suspicion of committing an offence remain presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law. Arrest does not extinguish the rights to life, dignity, humane treatment, medical care and due process.
Once individuals are deprived of their liberty, the detaining authority assumes a heightened duty of care because detainees are substantially dependent on the State for their safety, medical needs and basic conditions of survival.
It is therefore insufficient merely to announce that the detainees may have died from illness or disease. Any such explanation must be established by credible medical and forensic evidence.
The critical questions requiring answers include:
1. How many persons were arrested, and how many have died?
2. What was the authorized capacity of the detention facility, and how many persons were confined in the affected cell?
3. What were the ventilation, sanitation and general conditions of the cell?
4. Were detainees medically screened upon admission into custody?
5. When did the first signs of illness or physical distress become apparent?
6. Did detainees call or bang on the cell door for assistance, as has been alleged, and how did officers on duty respond?
7. When was medical assistance sought, and what treatment was provided?
8. What do the custody registers, duty rosters, incident records and any available CCTV footage show?
9. What were the precise causes, manner and approximate times of the deaths?
10. Were the families of the deceased promptly informed, and are survivors and families being given access to lawyers and independent investigators
We welcome the reported decision of the NSCDC authorities to investigate the incident. However, an internal investigation by the institution under whose custody the deaths occurred cannot, by itself, satisfy the requirements of independence, public confidence and accountability.
We therefore call on the Federal Government to ensure an independent investigation involving the National Human Rights Commission and other appropriate authorities outside the NSCDC chain of command.
There should also be independent forensic post-mortem examinations on the deceased, with appropriate laboratory and toxicological investigations where necessary. Families should be properly notified and allowed reasonable access to information concerning the examinations.
All relevant evidence – including CCTV recordings where available, custody registers, arrest records, duty rosters, medical records, communication logs and incident reports – must immediately be secured against loss, alteration or destruction. Survivors should be interviewed confidentially and protected from intimidation or retaliation.
The reported circumstances also raise broader questions about the use of detention facilities during mass arrest operations. Security and law-enforcement agencies must not arrest numbers of people that exceed their capacity to provide safe, adequately ventilated and humane detention conditions.
Nigeria undoubtedly faces a serious challenge from illegal mining, including its economic, environmental and security consequences. The government is entitled to enforce the law against illegal mining. But law enforcement must itself remain within the law.
No allegation of illegal mining can justify torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, dangerous detention conditions or neglect of persons experiencing medical distress.
Where citizens are taken alive into the custody of the State and subsequently die in significant numbers, the State owes their families and the Nigerian public a credible and independently verifiable account of what happened.
Consequently, we call for full disclosure of the verified number and identities of those who died, proper accounting for all survivors, independent investigation and autopsies, protection of witnesses, and prosecution or disciplinary action against any person found responsible through a credible investigation.
Where negligence, unlawful conduct or other official failure is established, the families of the victims must also have access to effective remedies, including appropriate compensation.
This tragedy must not be reduced to competing official and media narratives. The facts must be established.
The dead deserve the truth. Their families deserve answers. And the public deserves assurance that persons taken into the custody of the State will not disappear behind detention walls and emerge dead without accountability.