Nigerians banned from travelling home over Ebola fears

Nigerians in Bahrain have reportedly been banned from returning home due to fears that they could catch and spread the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Basil Maduakor, a newlywed man resident in the country, has said that he cannot leave the country or bring in his new bride, Cynthia due to an "Ebola travel ban" on Nigeria.

Maduakor told Gulf Daily News that Bahrain’s Interior Ministry had said that the ban had been lifted but the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) said otherwise.

"I got married on July 26 last year and returned to Bahrain on August 2, and since then I have not been able to bring my wife here to join me because of the ban," said the 29-year-old engineer. It has been very difficult for us as a couple to be separated barely one week after marriage,” Maduakor said.

"My wife who is a chemical engineer and was working in Nigeria had resigned from her job hoping that she could join me soon. I have been reading every news report related to Ebola and Nigerians hoping to get some information on the status of the ban - which we have been told for over two months now is awaiting executive approval before it can be lifted,” he added.

“When my friend checked with NPRA officials, they said we can travel and the ban has been lifted, whereas an LMRA official said that the ban is still in effect,"Nurudeen Yusuf, another Nigerian resident in Bahrain, said.

“We are confused and still waiting for an official announcement on this as many of us are stuck here without being able to go on holidays or bring our families to Bahrain,” Yusuf said.

Nigeria was declared Ebola-free on October 20, 2014 after recording 21 cases of the disease and nine deaths.