10:19 AM
The Liberian government complained Thursday that its citizens were being harassed and “stereotyped” in Nigeria following the death in a Lagos hospital of one of its citizens infected with Ebola virus.“The attention of our embassy has been brought to several cases of harassment of Liberians especially in Lagos and other places. This harassment borders on stereotyping and sometimes expression of collective guilt,” Liberian ambassador to Nigeria, Martin George, said.
The patient who brought the virus to Lagos on July 20, Liberian finance ministry employee Patrick Sawyer, was placed under quarantine at a private hospital. He died on July 25.
“Just because the ‘index case’ came from Liberia, so ‘all Liberians in Nigeria have Ebola’. That is the message and people are being harassed,” said the diplomat.
He was speaking during a meeting the Nigerian Health minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, held with heads of diplomatic missions in the country on developments on Ebola virus.
Nigeria on Wednesday confirmed five new cases of Ebola in Lagos and a second death from the virus, a nurse, bringing the total number of infections in sub-Saharan Africa’s largest city to seven.
“There are law-abiding Liberians living here in Nigeria who have been harassed. So I appeal for your indulgence as you frame the responses especially on the radio talk shows. People have been making all kind of derogatory remarks that have been brought to our attention,” the Liberian diplomat said.
The patient who brought the virus to Lagos on July 20, Liberian finance ministry employee Patrick Sawyer, was placed under quarantine at a private hospital. He died on July 25.
“Just because the ‘index case’ came from Liberia, so ‘all Liberians in Nigeria have Ebola’. That is the message and people are being harassed,” said the diplomat.
He was speaking during a meeting the Nigerian Health minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, held with heads of diplomatic missions in the country on developments on Ebola virus.
Nigeria on Wednesday confirmed five new cases of Ebola in Lagos and a second death from the virus, a nurse, bringing the total number of infections in sub-Saharan Africa’s largest city to seven.
“There are law-abiding Liberians living here in Nigeria who have been harassed. So I appeal for your indulgence as you frame the responses especially on the radio talk shows. People have been making all kind of derogatory remarks that have been brought to our attention,” the Liberian diplomat said.
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