The Federal Government has directed civil aviation authorities to place 46 persons identified in contact tracing for Nigeria’s recently confirmed Ebola Virus Disease case on a 21-day no-fly list.
​The directive was issued on Thursday, October 22, 2026, by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, following emergency inter-agency deliberations with health and aviation officials at the Ministry headquarters in Abuja.
​Speaking on the strict measure, Keyamo stated that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been instructed to transmit the travel restriction to both domestic and international air carriers operating across Nigerian airspace.
​The 21-day flight restriction aligns with the maximum incubation window of the Ebola virus, during which exposed persons are systematically monitored for potential symptoms.
​”Efforts are underway to isolate the identified contacts pending confirmation that they have not contracted the virus,” Keyamo explained, emphasizing that aviation regulators must prevent affected individuals from traveling by air during the critical 21-day monitoring window.
​The decision follows the confirmation of an Ebola index case on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, involving a female traveler who arrived in Abuja on an international flight from Uganda and subsequently presented symptoms at a private healthcare facility.
​Health authorities subsequently identified 44 hospital contacts alongside two domestic staff members who were added to the official surveillance register. Officials clarified that none of the 46 tracked contacts have tested positive for the disease.
​Addressing reporters in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, assured the public that national containment protocols remain active and effective.
​”Most of our states have adequate response plans,” Pate noted. “We have the resources, and we are mobilising those capabilities… The key for the population is to avoid spreading misinformation or baseless rumors, which can cause unnecessary panic.”
​In addition to individual flight restrictions, Keyamo directed the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Bunmi Kuku, to step up biosecurity screening protocols across all entry points.
Enhanced airport measures currently deployed alongside the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) include mandatory thermal body temperature scans, digital health declaration forms, and travel history tracking for all incoming and departing passengers.
​The high-level inter-agency briefing was attended by key stakeholders, including the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap; FAAN General Manager Adamu Adamu; and the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Dr. Pavel Ursu.
