The Nigerian Senate has directed its Committee on Health to investigate reports of new COVID-19 cases following conflicting accounts from health authorities and officials in Cross River State.
The directive was issued during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who tasked the committee—chaired by Ipalibo Banigo—to verify the claims and submit its findings by next Tuesday.
The move comes amid reports suggesting that 10 new COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the state. However, the state government has denied the figure, insisting that only one confirmed case exists.
Both the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the Cross River State Ministry of Health had earlier confirmed a single case in April 2026, assuring the public that there is no evidence of widespread transmission.
Health authorities said the confirmed case involves a 53-year-old Chinese expatriate who arrived in Nigeria on March 17, 2026, and later travelled to Calabar.
He reportedly developed symptoms on April 10 and tested positive a week later. The patient is said to be in stable condition and receiving treatment at an isolation facility.
Speaking on The Morning Brief on Channels Television, the state’s commissioner for health, Henry Ayuk, dismissed reports of multiple infections.
He explained that the confusion likely arose from the identification of 10 contacts linked to the confirmed case, which may have been misinterpreted as additional infections.
The Senate’s intervention aims to clarify the situation and ensure accurate public communication on the country’s COVID-19 status.