The Senate has ordered compulsory health screening for all international travellers entering Nigeria, amid concerns that gaps in airport checks allowed an Ebola-positive passenger into the country undetected.
The upper chamber also demanded the immediate release of ₦10 billion for Ebola control and called for the replacement of the Quarantine Act of 1926 with a modern public health law.
The resolutions were adopted on Wednesday after senators debated an urgent motion by Senator Francis Faduyile, a professor of medicine and specialist pathologist, who warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of more Ebola cases.
Traveller entered without screening
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said he was informed that a traveller from Kenya, who later tested positive for Ebola, entered Nigeria without any health check.
“There was no temperature check or any form of screening, and the traveller himself was worried,” Akpabio said.
He suggested the case may have come to light only after the traveller reached a hospital, raising doubts about Nigeria’s ability to detect infected passengers at entry points.
Recalling the 2014 outbreak, when a Liberian patient brought the virus into Nigeria and a doctor who treated him died, Akpabio warned of a possible chain reaction if the virus spreads beyond known contacts.
“With 44 contacts already traced in 24 hours, and each of those potentially in contact with at least three more people, we are looking at a dangerous chain reaction. This is a major wake-up call,” he said.
What the Senate resolved
Following the debate, senators unanimously resolved that screening must be compulsory for all international passengers arriving through airports, seaports and designated land borders. The measures include:
- Health declaration forms
- Temperature checks
- Screening for Ebola symptoms
- Closer monitoring of travellers who visited or passed through affected areas in the previous 21 days
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) argued that screening should not be limited to travellers from countries listed as affected, saying the Kenya case showed why everyone entering Nigeria must be checked.
“You don’t know where a person contracted Ebola. Screening must be mandatory for every traveller coming into this country at every airport, regardless of origin,” he said.
The Senate also urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Immigration Service to ensure all entry points have enough trained Port Health officers, thermal scanners, personal protective equipment and isolation rooms.
It further called for isolation and treatment centres to be ready in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Push for new quarantine law
Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North) described the Quarantine Act of 1926 as outdated and unfit for modern public health emergencies. He urged the National Assembly to repeal and replace it with a law that allows health officials to use modern technology in responding to outbreaks.
Akpabio backed the call and directed the Senate Committee on Judiciary to work immediately with health authorities and the executive to amend the Act, without waiting for a bill from the Federal Government.
Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar (Kwara North) called for a coordinated response across government agencies, adequate funding and stronger border controls. He noted that Nigeria earned international recognition for containing the 2014 outbreak and must not undermine that success.
Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) called the motion timely, citing the reported death toll from the current outbreak. He said there was no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain at the time of the debate.
₦10bn funding
On funding, Faduyile initially proposed that adequate money be provided in the 2027 budget. Ndume, however, said President Bola Tinubu had already approved ₦10 billion for Ebola control, and demanded its immediate release along with proper accounting for how it would be spent.
Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the FCT, urged that the funds be used to procure vaccines, particularly for Abuja, where the case was detected.
Faduyile’s warning
Faduyile told his colleagues that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, declared in May 2026, has become one of the largest in history, with more than 9,000 confirmed cases and about 4,400 deaths, according to figures he presented.
He said the virus spread to Uganda and Kenya before reaching Nigeria, and that contact tracing linked to the Abuja case has identified about 44 people for quarantine and observation.
He also criticised the current entry screening system, saying restrictions introduced on September 22, 2026 targeted travellers from selected countries and did not include Kenya at the time.
Faduyile warned that several airports, seaports and land borders lack adequate Port Health officers, scanners and isolation facilities. He added that Nigeria is already battling Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria and cannot afford another major outbreak.
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