BREAKING: Nigeria’s index Ebola patient evacuated abroad for treatment

An air ambulance has reportedly evacuated the patient diagnosed with Ebola virus in the Federal Capital Territory out of Nigeria, according to a report by ARISE News.

The station, in a post on its X handle on Monday, said the woman, who is the wife of a Swiss diplomat in the country, was flown out from the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, early in the morning.

ARISE News said, “The index patient diagnosed with Ebola virus in Nigeria has been evacuated from the country early this morning through an air ambulance at the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.”

It added that it was tipped off that the patient “would be flown out of Nigeria by 6am this morning through a medivac plane which was already at the airport waiting to evacuate her.”

The station said its crew deployed to the General Aviation Terminal later obtained pictures of a convoy of ambulances arriving from Abuja city centre with diplomatic vehicles in the entourage.

According to the report, “The three-vehicle convoy had an international Agency vehicle entering the Private Jet section” of the airport.

It was reported that airport officials cordoned off the private wing, but they “eventually obtained videos of a medivac plane with crews eventually evacuating the sick passenger suspected to be the Ebola index case due to the special nature of the medical evacuation.”

The station further quoted a source as saying that “the Federal Government will make the announcement of the medical evacuation only after the plane has taken off and exited the Nigerian airspace.”