The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) has issued a clarification regarding reports that the state recorded 10,430 HIV cases in 2025, the highest among Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The agency emphasized that this figure does not represent 10,430 new infections but rather the number of individuals diagnosed through expanded HIV testing services during the year.
Background of the Report
The clarification followed the release of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare's State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025, which listed Lagos as having the highest number of reported HIV cases. According to the report, Lagos recorded 10,430 cases, followed by Rivers with 6,287, Kano with 6,106, Akwa Ibom with 5,413, Taraba with 4,854, and Benue with 4,804. Anambra recorded 4,468 cases, while Kaduna, Adamawa, and the Federal Capital Territory completed the top 10 with 3,659, 2,989, and 2,764 cases respectively.
Other states reporting more than 2,000 cases included Cross River, Sokoto, Abia, Imo, Delta, Borno, Ogun, Plateau, Niger, and Ebonyi. Ekiti recorded the lowest figure with 462 cases.
LSACA's Clarification
In its statement, LSACA stressed that the reported figure represents individuals who tested positive and were documented through HIV testing programmes in 2025, many of whom may have been living with the virus long before receiving a diagnosis. "The 10,430 cases should not be interpreted as 10,430 new HIV infections that occurred in 2025. Rather, they represent individuals who were diagnosed and recorded through HIV testing services during the year," the agency said.
LSACA explained that Lagos' status as Nigeria's commercial hub and most populous state contributes to the high number of diagnoses, as residents, workers, students, and visitors from across the country seek healthcare services in the state. The agency also attributed the figures to Lagos' extensive HIV surveillance, testing, and reporting systems, which are among the strongest in the country.
Robust Case-Finding Efforts
"As testing services continue to expand and more people come forward to know their HIV status, more previously undiagnosed cases are identified and linked to life-saving treatment. The reported figure should therefore be viewed as evidence of the state's robust HIV case-finding efforts, expanded access to testing, and improved reporting systems, not as an indication that the HIV epidemic is out of control in Lagos," the statement added.
Meanwhile, data from the National Data Repository showed that Nigeria recorded 20,838 newly diagnosed HIV cases between January and March 2026, with Lagos recording 2,298 cases during the period, followed by Benue with 1,949, Akwa Ibom with 1,159, Rivers with 1,137, and Anambra with 1,013.
Federal Government's HIV Response
The clarification comes as the Federal Government continues efforts to strengthen the country's HIV response. In March, the government announced a $346 million co-financing commitment for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria programmes in 2026, while also launching Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable medication for HIV prevention.
