Lagos Tightens Ebola Checks at MMIA to Separate High-Risk Passengers
Last update: June 1, 2026
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Nobody wants a repeat of 2014. So, Lagos is quietly putting up a firewall at MMIA — not for people, but for Ebola.
Heads up from Lagos — and this is according to cbinews.tv — officials are moving fast to stop Ebola slipping through Murtala Muhammed International Airport again.
The plan? Cut down how much passengers from Ebola-affected countries mix with everyone else coming through MMIA. It’s not about creating queues. As Health Commissioner Prof Akin Abayomi put it: “Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers", cbinewstv reports.
This all came out of a big inspection on Sunday. The Lagos health team — led by Prof Abayomi, Special Adviser Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, Permanent Secretary Dr Dayo Lajide, and others — met with airport boss Olatokunbo Arewa, Port Health, FAAN, NCAA and the rest of the crew. They walked through screening points, emergency plans, and surveillance systems.
Why now? Because Ebola’s flaring up again in parts of Central and East Africa. The WHO says as of late May there were 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths in DRC, plus 134 confirmed cases across DRC and Uganda. Even a US healthcare worker who treated patients in DRC tested positive and is now in Germany.
Lagos isn’t taking chances. MMIA handles around 70% of Nigeria’s international arrivals, so it’s the most likely entry point. Abayomi didn’t mince words — complacency isn’t an option here. He pointed back to 2014 when Ebola entered Nigeria via a Liberian traveller. That crisis was only stopped because of fast contact tracing and the late Dr Ameyo Adadevoh’s courage.
So, what’s actually happening on the ground? cbinews.tv reports a few things:
- Less contact, more speed: Lagos wants dedicated channels for travellers from high-risk countries, without slowing the airport down.
- Tech and kit upgrades: Airport Manager Arewa says touchless sanitisers and temp scanners are already in, with more passenger screening tweaks coming.
- Better data sharing: Port Health’s Lawal Abdullahi confirmed they updated the airport’s emergency plan back in March 2026 and have already activated the Airport Public Health Emergency Team. They’re also pushing for faster access to passenger data to trace contacts if needed.
- Airline pressure: NCAA’s Dr Abayomi Asunbo said international airlines have been told — comply with public health protocols before anyone gets into Nigeria.
- Staff protection first: Dr Ogunyemi stressed that airport workers are the real frontline. “As passengers arrive, you are among the very first people to interact with them,” she told them. Governor Sanwo-Olu’s backing the push too.
FAAN’s Bilkis Ibrahim added that multilingual health advisories, more PPE, and staff training are rolling out across the airport.
For now, the NCDC says there’s no Ebola case in Nigeria. But with outbreaks still evolving, Lagos is betting on vigilance, coordination and quick isolation to keep it that way.
Attribution: cbinews.tv
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