Ebola Screening: NSA Raises Fresh Alarm Over Breaches at Nigeria’s Entry Points

By: Abudu Olalekan

Somebody isn’t following the rules at the border. And the National Security Adviser’s office has noticed.

The Federal Government has ordered security agencies, hospitals and every other relevant authority to tighten up Ebola screening at the country’s entry points, after the Office of the NSA flagged reports that approved protocols were being ignored. The timing is not accidental. On Tuesday, Nigeria confirmed an imported Ebola case in Abuja, and the mood has shifted fast.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has now told agencies to document and report every breach, actual or attempted.

But here’s the uncomfortable part. Field checks across several states this week turned up real gaps: patchy public awareness, missing infection-control basics, and emergency plans that look better on paper than on the ground. This despite state governments insisting they’ve stepped up surveillance.

In Lagos, an isolation centre in Yaba that once handled COVID-19 patients is now a nursing school. Some states are still shopping for protective gear. Markets and motor parks in several cities have no handwashing points at all.

And the Federal Government had already admitted that 15 states hadn’t updated their Ebola response plans.

What the NSA circular says

The directive came in a circular dated October 22, 2026, reference PS/FMOH/08/VIII/48. It was signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollum, on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate.

The circular, seen on Friday, is blunt about its origin: concerns raised by the NSA’s office over non-compliance with Federal Government-approved 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,” it reads.

Institutions are told to stick strictly to screening procedures, health declaration requirements and surveillance measures. They must share information faster across agencies so threats get caught early. They must log every breach through established channels, back up enforcement officers, and set up monitoring to keep compliance from slipping.

There’s a warning too. Nobody is to interfere with personnel doing the enforcing. And agencies were told to push the advisory down to every department, field office and staff member immediately.

What the circular doesn’t say is just as telling. No count of breaches. No named entry points. No description of what actually went wrong.

The Abuja case

The scramble started with a woman on a flight from Uganda.

Lab tests confirmed she was carrying the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. According to Pate, she was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT and treated for several days before anyone realised what they were dealing with. She is now in isolation and receiving care.

Public health teams are tracing 44 known contacts and hunting for others who might have been exposed. Health workers. Other patients. Caregivers. People on the plane.

She was later identified as a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman believed to be married to a Swiss diplomat posted in Abuja. Reuters reported Thursday that the Swiss government thinks she picked up the virus while travelling in Uganda. Switzerland’s foreign ministry said she’d spent about a week at a private Abuja clinic with symptoms before the diagnosis came through. Her husband, who travelled with her, is also isolated but hasn’t shown symptoms.

Where exactly she was infected is still a question mark. Ugandan officials say she’d been in eastern DR Congo before passing through Uganda. The WHO and Africa CDC say they haven’t seen verified information confirming that trip.

Lagos: the isolation centre that became a classroom

Remember the Yaba isolation facility? The one Lagos leaned on through COVID-19?

Reporters visited on Friday. Gates locked. Two security men at the entrance to the Mainland Hospital section. A reporter posing as a researcher was turned away.

One guard, who wouldn’t give his name, explained the change. “They used to use the place for COVID-19 and other serious diseases, but it is now being used by nursing students of LASU,” he said.

A sign on one building confirmed it: “Lagos State University Nursing School.” Grass was pushing up through the interlocking paving. No sign of activity. The place looked abandoned.

What’s unclear is whether Lagos moved its isolation capacity somewhere else. The visit couldn’t establish that either way.

Fear, confusion and a few conspiracy theories

Across Lagos, Ogun and Osun, people are worried. Or confused. Sometimes both.

At Ketu Market in Lagos, a trader known as Mama Aminu hadn’t heard about the case until a reporter told her.

“I didn’t know there was another Ebola outbreak. I am scared at this point. We barely survived COVID-19; this won’t be funny. Somebody cannot go a day in this country without suffering something. How will we survive this one now?” she asked.

Relieved that nothing had been confirmed in Lagos yet, she still decided to act. “What should I do now? No wonder I saw some people wearing masks days ago. I will look for a mask and buy one for myself.”

Ladejo Johnson, a 200-level student at the Lagos State College of Health, wasn’t counting on government. “I saw it in the news. It is not new that Nigeria rarely prepares ahead for emergencies, so it is we, the citizens, who have to protect ourselves. But I pray and hope it won’t become like COVID-19,” he said. He’s sticking with masks and handwashing.

Commercial drivers felt left in the dark. Isiaka Awe said he hadn’t heard a single radio jingle or TV campaign.

“What is it even about? Nobody is talking about it; what we are concerned about is how to survive in this country. What are we even expected to wear? Is it like COVID-19? I don’t see anybody washing their hands or maintaining social distancing,” he said.

In Mowe, Ogun State, Chinedu Okafor worried about the daily bus ride.

“Honestly, I am afraid because we enter buses every day and sit close to people we don’t know. You cannot even know who is sick and who is not. If Ebola is really spreading, the government should tell us what is happening and how we can protect ourselves. We cannot stop going to work because of this, so they should help us stay safe,” he said.

Aisha Ibrahim, another commuter, has been washing her hands more and avoiding unnecessary contact, but says keeping distance in a packed vehicle is close to impossible. She wants sanitisers at motor parks.

Tolani Toluwalase’s fear is about what she might carry home.

“My major concern is my children at home. I go out every day to work, enter buses and meet different people, so I may unknowingly bring an infection home. I try to wash my hands when I return and maintain good hygiene, but I need more information about what else I should do,” she said.

In Magboro, a trader, Mrs Philips, has started keeping customers at arm’s length until she hears something reliable. A motorist, Abubakar Sanni, doubted the message had got out at all.

“I have not heard much about it, so I do not think the information is widespread. However, if the reports of an Ebola outbreak are true, it could pose a serious challenge for Nigeria, particularly because many people may not even be aware of what is happening,” he said.

Private school teacher Funmi Ogunleye wants the National Orientation Agency and the NCDC to flood the airwaves and shut down misinformation. She has a point. Two commuters, Chinelo Uli and Alex Ubani, told reporters they suspected the whole thing was political.

In Osun, teacher Folashade Aderinto said some Osogbo schools had started talking to pupils about infectious diseases and encouraging masks. A 100-level student at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, who gave her name as Praise, said her school had shared information but hadn’t rolled out any actual measures. Poultry farmer Tobi Adeleke is being more careful, though he admits avoiding people on public transport isn’t really an option.

Plateau: hospitals ready, markets not so much

Jos tells a mixed story.

At Jos University Teaching Hospital and the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, reporters saw handwashing stations, sanitiser dispensers, temperature checks and Ebola posters at some entrances. A senior nurse, speaking anonymously, said infection prevention protocols were back on. “Every patient is screened for fever and relevant history before admission,” the nurse said.

Step outside the hospital gates and it’s a different picture. At Terminus Market, only two of six entrances had working handwashing buckets. At Farin Gada Market, none.

At Bauchi Road Motor Park, the NURTW chairman, Umaru Musa, said drivers had been briefed. “We heard about Ebola on the radio. We are telling our drivers to be careful,” he said. But there was no water and no sanitiser in the vehicles or at the park office.

The Plateau Ministry of Health says Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers are active across all 17 LGAs. A senior official said the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre had been activated and awareness campaigns had begun with NCDC support.

Nasarawa, Kano, Yobe

Nasarawa shares a border with the FCT, and that has concentrated minds. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan, said the state was buying protective equipment for frontline workers across its 13 LGAs.

“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 has ordered every health facility, public, private, faith-based or military, to enforce infection prevention and control. Prof Muhammad Abubakar, who heads the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, listed hand hygiene, proper PPE use, sanitation, safe injections and medical waste management.

Yobe says it has strengthened surveillance, isolation and contact tracing across its 17 LGAs. “We have established teams across all the local government areas of the state and trained them in contact tracing and investigating possible exposure,” said Dr Nuru Sulaiman Muhammad, the ministry’s Director of Public Health. Isolation centres are in place in Bade, Potiskum and Damaturu, one for each zone.

Benue and Jigawa: “I am hearing it from you”

In Makurdi, the news hadn’t reached everyone.

At Wadata Market, a resident named Yusuf was startled. “Is there any outbreak of Ebola in Nigeria? I am hearing it from you,” he said.

At the Modern Market, no handwashing facilities were visible in some public areas. A nurse at Benue State University Teaching Hospital, who gave her name as Mrs Williams, said management had sent a memo about personal hygiene but nothing more.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Paul Ogwuche, insists surveillance has been stepped up across the state’s 23 LGAs. “Any suspected case must be reported immediately through established public health channels for prompt investigation,” he said.

Jigawa fared better on the basics. Checks in Dutse, Birnin Kudu and Kiyawa found handwashing facilities in most hospitals, markets, motor parks and schools visited. Awareness was uneven, though. Sani Audu, a trader at Dutse Ultra-Modern Market, put his finger on the gap: “We have heard about Ebola, but we don’t know the number to call if we see a suspected case.”

The state ministry says sensitisation has been ramped up in line with national guidelines.

Kwara and Gombe

Kwara was thin on visible preparation. At Sobi Specialist Hospital, Alagbado and Awodi Primary Healthcare Centres, and at markets and motor parks in Ilorin, reporters found no handwashing facilities.

The Ministry of Health says it has reviewed its Ebola plans, held a stakeholders’ meeting at its emergency operations centre, and told technical teams covering surveillance, risk communication, infection prevention, lab services, logistics and case management to finish outstanding work. The Director of Public Health, Dr Oluwatosin Fakayode, said the state had no suspected cases but was monitoring passengers of interest heading to Kwara.

In Gombe, FAAN has started temperature checks at the airport. Acting Airport Manager Epson-Essai Pensur said the aim was to protect passengers and airport users.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof Adamu-Danladi Bojude, said the state’s emergency operations centre was on alert. “We have been receiving daily updates on Persons of Interest from the NCDC and, as of today, there is zero Person of Interest on EVD in Gombe State,” he said. Anyone flagged would be watched for 21 days; suspected cases would be isolated and referred. A joint risk assessment and an Ebola technical working group are planned.

Kaduna and Sokoto

Kaduna’s Director of Public Health, Dr Sadique Abubakar, said campaigns were planned for motor parks, railway stations and other entry points.

Sokoto was harder to read. Checks at hospitals, markets and schools found uneven awareness and little visible prevention. And scepticism runs deep. Trader Adamu Usman dismissed the whole thing as political. Bello Abubakar tied the timing to the 2027 elections. Abdullahi Muazu, on the other hand, urged people to take the warnings seriously and get accurate information.

As of filing, the Sokoto government hadn’t issued a statement, and the Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Wurno, couldn’t be reached.

Why Ebola is no joke

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of infected people or animals, or with contaminated materials. It starts with fever, headache and muscle pain. Then vomiting, diarrhoea and, in the worst cases, bleeding. Incubation runs from two to 21 days, and people generally aren’t infectious until symptoms show.

Nigeria has done this before. In 2014, an infected traveller brought the virus into Lagos. The country recorded 20 cases and eight deaths before stopping it cold through surveillance, contact tracing and isolation. It was widely seen as a success story.

This new case is a test of whether that muscle memory is still there. The NSA’s warning about border breaches suggests some of it may have faded.