Ebola: NCDC defends patient’s evacuation and rejects claims of no confidence

NCDC Director-General Dr Jide Idris defended the evacuation to Switzerland of Nigeria’s Ebola index patient, saying Nigerian clinicians had managed her largely and that she left the country stable and conscious. He rejected claims that the evacuation was a pretext for a lockdown, movement restrictions or interference with the 2027 elections, and said the patient and her contacts would not be named. Idris said 53 primary contacts remained under daily follow-up and that three contacts who developed symptoms had tested negative. The 42-day surveillance countdown has begun, with December 7, 2026, the earliest possible date to declare the event over if no new case emerges.