The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, following laboratory confirmation of the case.

According to the statement, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.

The minister said the woman had been placed in isolation and was receiving medical care.

The government disclosed that 44 close contacts had been identified, while public health officials were working to trace and monitor other potentially exposed persons, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are collaborating with other relevant authorities to contain the infection.

As part of the response, surveillance has been intensified, and the hospital where the patient was treated is receiving support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.

The government has directed public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain on high alert. Healthcare workers have also been advised to promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, observe strict infection prevention protocols, and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.

Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm and observe preventive measures, including regular handwashing and avoiding contact with the blood or other body fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.

He identified symptoms to watch for as fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, particularly among people who may have been exposed to the virus.

The statement advised anyone who develops such symptoms to avoid close contact with others and contact public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.

The government also appealed to people contacted during the tracing exercise, including potentially exposed airline passengers, to provide the necessary information and comply with official instructions.

The confirmation comes amid an evolving regional Ebola outbreak. The NCDC had earlier raised concerns about the risk of importing the infection following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated objects and surfaces. The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.

Reassuring Nigerians, the minister said the country had the experience and public health systems required to respond to the case, citing Nigeria's containment of an Ebola outbreak in 2014 through rapid case identification, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.

He, however, stressed that public cooperation would be essential to preventing further transmission.

The Federal Government said investigations were ongoing and that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, alongside the NCDC, would continue to provide updates.

Members of the public seeking information or wishing to report a suspected case were advised to contact the NCDC's toll-free call centre on 6232, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.