Nigeria’s Ebola Patient Arrived on Ethiopian Airlines Flight as NASS Demands Urgent Health Funding

Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient arrived in Abuja aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on October 3, 2026, according to an aviation official cited by Vanguard, as lawmakers called for stronger screening at the country’s entry points and urgent funding for public health agencies.

The official, who spoke anonymously because she was not authorised to brief the media, said the woman landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET333. The disclosure adds detail to investigations into Nigeria’s first reported case in the current outbreak.

Health authorities confirmed that the patient had the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus. Olajumoke Babatunde, director of the Public Health Laboratory Service at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), said molecular testing identified the strain. The World Health Organisation has said there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.

The patient, described in the report as the wife of a diplomat, had reportedly received care at a private hospital in Abuja before being transferred to a designated isolation facility. Health authorities had identified 44 close contacts, including healthcare workers, other patients, caregivers and people linked to her travel. The report did not establish that all 44 contacts had developed symptoms or tested positive.

Uganda has asked Nigeria to provide detailed travel and clinical records to support further investigations. Uganda’s Director-General of Health Services, Professor Charles Olaro, said the woman’s transit through the country did not prove that she contracted the virus there. Ugandan authorities said preliminary information indicated that she had travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business, passed through Uganda without symptoms and became ill after arriving in Nigeria. The location where she contracted the infection remains under investigation.

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the government was collaborating with Uganda while carrying out contact tracing and containment measures. He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant without panicking and to rely on information from trusted public health authorities. The government has also placed health institutions and port health surveillance units on heightened alert.

The Senate and House of Representatives separately called for compulsory health screening of arriving passengers at international airports, seaports and designated land borders. The Senate also urged the government to provide trained port health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation facilities, while calling for emergency funds to support the response. Lawmakers further proposed modernising Nigeria’s Quarantine Act, originally enacted in 1926.

The House of Representatives also urged the immediate release of outstanding funds appropriated for relevant health agencies to support surveillance, laboratory testing and contact tracing. Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar challenged President Bola Tinubu to account for the reported N10 billion announced for Ebola preparedness. In a statement issued through his campaign communications team, Atiku called for public disclosure of disbursements, contracts and supplies, and alleged shortcomings in the protection of frontline health workers. These allegations require a response from the government and supporting documentation to establish how the funds were used.