The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has placed 46 people linked to a confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria on a no-fly list for a minimum of 21 days, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the virus.
Keyamo announced the measure on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, following a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate. The restriction applies to all air travel within and out of Nigeria.
Contacts Identified and Isolation Efforts
According to Keyamo, 44 of the 46 contacts are individuals the infected person encountered at a hospital after she began showing symptoms. The remaining two are members of her domestic staff, bringing the total number of tracked contacts to 46.
Professor Pate shared details of those who had come into contact with the infected individual during the virtual meeting on Wednesday evening, October 21, 2026. Keyamo said efforts are ongoing to isolate all 46 individuals pending confirmation that they have not contracted the virus.
The 21-day no-fly window aligns with the standard incubation period for Ebola, within which symptoms are expected to manifest in an infected person.
Directives to NCAA and FAAN
Keyamo said he has directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to immediately notify all local and international airlines operating in Nigeria about the restriction. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has also been instructed to raise its Ebola response and surveillance protocols across all international airports in the country.
This directive signals a coordinated response between Nigeria's aviation and health sectors as the country moves to prevent the virus from spreading beyond its current boundaries.
Airport Measures Already Active
Keyamo noted that FAAN had already begun implementing a range of precautionary measures following earlier regional outbreak alerts from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). These include enhanced health screenings, temperature checks, travel history tracking, digital health declarations, and inter-agency coordination with the NCDC.
The NCDC has also listed the key symptoms of Ebola disease and urged the public to practise regular hand hygiene and avoid contact with bodily fluids.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a diplomat diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in Abuja deteriorated into multi-organ failure, the NCDC confirmed at an emergency meeting. Nigeria's Health Minister said the government was collaborating with Uganda and conducting contact tracing to prevent the virus from spreading into the wider population. Anambra, Niger and Ogun states activated emergency health measures, with over 100 persons of interest currently being traced across multiple states.
