Nigeria News Today, 13 November 2026 (Evening): Ebola Contacts Cleared, INEC Sets Mock Poll, US Presses Abuja
Last updated: 13 November 2026 · By Naijatipsland Editorial Team · Editorial policy
Evening roundup · Friday 13 November 2026 · By Ade Adeniyi, Founder and Editor
Good evening. This morning we led on campaign violence and INEC’s court troubles. Since then the health agency has cleared every person linked to Nigeria’s single Ebola case, INEC has set a date to rehearse election day, and Washington has told Congress that Abuja is trying harder but not moving fast enough on attacks in the Middle Belt. We also cover a new war of words over the economy, a fresh rigging allegation, a big chemical seizure in Kano and a deadly crash on the Lagos-Ibadan road.
Today at a glance
- NCDC: all 62 Ebola contacts finished 21 days of monitoring with no one infected.
- INEC fixes 28 November for a nationwide mock accreditation and result-upload test.
- US officials say Nigeria is taking religious violence more seriously, but the pace is too slow.
- Tinubu says the economic “emergency” is over; Makinde’s campaign demands answers on ₦11.2 trillion in oil-backed loans.
- Obi’s media office alleges a plot to pad the voter register; INEC has yet to reply.
- NAFDAC seals four Kano warehouses holding banned chemicals worth about ₦560 million.
- Seven killed, 11 hurt in a bus-truck crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
1. Ebola: every contact cleared, but no all-clear yet
What happened
At a briefing in Abuja on Friday, NCDC Director-General Dr Jide Idris said the last of the 62 people who had contact with Nigeria’s imported Bundibugyo-strain Ebola patient had completed 21 days of observation and been discharged. Thirteen of them developed a fever or other mild symptoms along the way, but every test came back negative. The patient, a Swiss woman evacuated to Geneva in late October, has recovered. Seven separate alerts in five states over the past three weeks were also investigated and ruled out.
Why it matters
It means there is no sign the virus spread inside Nigeria. However, the NCDC stressed this is not an official end to the outbreak: under WHO rules the country must count 42 days from the patient’s recovery or departure before that declaration. Surveillance at hospitals and airports continues.
Source: Reuters; Daily Post.
2. INEC sets 28 November for a nationwide election rehearsal
What happened
INEC chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan used his Chatham House appearance in London to announce a mock accreditation exercise in every state on 28 November. It will simulate a presidential poll to test the upgraded BVAS devices and the electronic upload of results to the IReV portal. He said each BVAS will now serve a maximum of 850 voters instead of 1,250, larger units will get more than one device, and climate-controlled storage is being built after heat damaged machines in 2023. He added that a result that does not add up at the polling unit will be blocked from IReV.
Why it matters
Result transmission was the most disputed part of the 2023 elections. A public test two weeks from now gives parties, observers and voters a chance to judge the fixes before the 16 January presidential poll. Our 2027 Election Hub keeps every key date in one place.
Source: Channels TV; Premium Times via AllAfrica.
3. US officials: Abuja trying harder, but attacks have not stopped
What happened
At a US House Africa subcommittee hearing on Thursday, a year after Nigeria was put back on Washington’s religious-freedom watch list, Assistant Secretary of State Frank Garcia said the violence against Christian communities in the Middle Belt has continued and that Nigeria’s progress is too slow. His colleague Riley Barnes credited Abuja with new deployments, more arrests and prosecutions and a promise of a plan to return displaced people home, and said the US is also pressing for blasphemy laws to be repealed or not enforced. Subcommittee chair Chris Smith and Rep. Riley Moore opposed lifting the designation. A CSIS analyst at the same hearing cautioned that Muslims are also victims and that the crisis cannot be reduced to religion.
Why it matters
Security cooperation, aid and Nigeria’s image abroad are all tied to this label. The Federal Government has consistently rejected the claim of a targeted genocide, saying insecurity affects people of all faiths; the information minister had not commented on the hearing when Reuters reported it.
4. The economy row: “emergency over” versus “explain the oil loans”
What happened
Speaking through Speaker Tajudeen Abbas at a book launch at the State House, President Tinubu said the hardest phase of his reforms is behind the country. He cited external reserves of about $55 billion, non-oil exports above $6 billion and non-oil revenue of ₦16.4 trillion in the first half of 2026, and set a goal of a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Separately, the Makinde-Daura campaign of the APM demanded a public account of reported arrangements committing about 340 million barrels of future crude output to loans worth roughly ₦11.2 trillion, under schemes named Project Gazelle and Project Leopard, and asked the National Assembly to hold an open hearing. ADC candidate Atiku Abubakar also attacked the government’s security record, citing a tracker that counted about 638 deaths in October.
Why it matters
The economy and security are shaping up as the core campaign arguments. The government points to stronger reserves and slowing inflation; its challengers point to debt terms and rising insecurity. The Presidency had not responded to the loan demand by this evening.
Source: The Guardian; Leadership; ThisDay.
5. Obi camp alleges plot over polling units and the voter register
What happened
The Peter Obi Media Office alleged in a statement that people linked to the Presidency and some INEC staff plan to move polling and collation centres, especially in the South-East, and to insert fictitious names into the register. It asked INEC to publish any approved relocations and to commission an independent review of recent register changes. These are allegations only: no evidence was released, and neither INEC nor the Presidency had responded by Friday evening. Separately, Lagos police say they are investigating Thursday’s attack on the NDC town hall in Oregun.
Why it matters
Disputes over polling-unit locations and the register often end up in court. INEC can settle much of this quickly by publishing its lists. Our explainer on what happens if no candidate wins in the first round covers the rules that will decide a close race.
Source: The Sun; Naija News; Punch.
6. NAFDAC seals Kano warehouses over banned farm chemicals
What happened
NAFDAC inspected more than ten warehouses in Kano and sealed four. Officials said they found nearly 3,000 cartons of a Paraquat product banned since 2022 (worth over ₦200 million), more than 8,000 cartons of another Paraquat brand (over ₦360 million), some Chlorpyrifos, and chemicals suspected to be meant for illicit drug-making. Two people, including a warehouse owner, were arrested, and 183 cartons of an unregistered syrup imported from Ghana were also seized.
Why it matters
Paraquat is highly toxic to people and to soil. Farmers should buy only NAFDAC-registered products and report suspicious agro-chemicals sold in open markets.
Source: Daily Post; Peoples Gazette.
7. Seven dead in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crash
What happened
A commercial bus and a truck collided at about 3pm on Thursday near the Conoil axis on the Lagos-bound side of the expressway in Ogun State. The FRSC said 20 people were involved: seven died, including a child, 11 were injured and two escaped unhurt. Ogun’s traffic agency TRACE said witnesses saw the truck join the expressway at speed. The FRSC blamed dangerous driving and speeding, pending investigation.
Why it matters
Year-end travel is about to rise on Nigeria’s busiest corridor. Road safety officials are urging drivers to slow down, and passengers can insist that bus drivers do the same.
Source: AIT; Radio Nigeria.
What to watch next
- Whether INEC answers the Obi camp and publishes polling-unit changes.
- Any Presidency or Finance Ministry reply on the crude-backed loans.
- NBS October inflation data, then the CBN rate meeting on 23-24 November.
- The 28 November mock accreditation and the 42-day Ebola countdown.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nigeria now free of Ebola?
Not officially. All contacts have been cleared, but a formal end-of-outbreak declaration needs a 42-day countdown under WHO rules.
What is INEC’s mock accreditation?
A nationwide rehearsal on 28 November in which INEC tests BVAS accreditation and the upload of results to IReV under election-day conditions.
When are the 2027 elections?
Presidential and National Assembly polls are on 16 January 2027; governorship and state assembly polls follow on 6 February 2027.
This roundup summarises reporting by the outlets credited under each story, in our own words. Follow Naijatipsland Updates on WhatsApp for the next edition. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it under our editorial policy.
