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The Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Katsina says its children’s ward is overwhelmed by an influx of suspected and confirmed diphtheria cases, while the number of infections and deaths from the disease in Katsina State remains unclear.
The hospital said on Saturday that patients were being referred from health facilities across the state, resulting in severe overcrowding and pressure on available bed spaces.
It did not disclose the number of children currently on admission, the number of laboratory-confirmed cases or deaths recorded so far.
PREMIUM TIMES reported on Saturday that the federal government had activated an emergency multi-agency task force involving the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the affected state governments and development partners.
The task force was directed to strengthen outbreak investigation and surveillance, intensify immunisation and expand access to treatment.
The federal government said the NPHCDA had deployed 500,000 vaccine doses to Katsina and Kano states for intensified immunisation in affected and at-risk communities.
It did not specify how many of the doses were allocated to Katsina.
Pressure on referral hospital
FTH Katsina, which serves as a major referral facility for Katsina and some neighbouring states, said the increasing number of patients had placed its paediatric services under considerable pressure.
“The hospital is making every possible arrangement to accommodate and manage the increasing number of patients, even in the absence of sufficient bed spaces,” the hospital said in its statement.
It said healthcare workers were continuing to attend to critically ill children despite the pressure on the ward.
The hospital also called for stronger collaboration among health institutions, government agencies and other stakeholders involved in the response.
The federal government has since directed the emergency task force to mobilise additional support to FTH Katsina, including diphtheria antitoxin, intravenous antibiotics, additional clinical personnel and personal protective equipment.
It also directed the establishment of treatment annexes across Katsina’s three senatorial zones, covering Katsina, Daura and Funtua, to reduce pressure on the referral hospital and bring treatment closer to affected communities.
Details of the locations, bed capacities and operational status of the proposed treatment centres have not yet been made public.
Questions over scale of outbreak
Despite the pressure reported at FTH Katsina and the activation of the federal emergency response, there is no official statements on the current Katsina-specific breakdown of suspected cases, confirmed infections, deaths or the LGAs most affected.
The vaccination status of the affected children is also yet to be disclosed.
These figures could help establish the extent to which gaps in routine immunisation are contributing to the outbreak.
The Federal Ministry of Health said part of the emergency intervention would focus on closing “population immunity gaps” by vaccinating unvaccinated children.
Questions also remain about when the current increase in cases was first detected, what measures were taken before referrals began to overwhelm FTH Katsina, and what diphtheria treatment capacity existed at secondary health facilities across the state before the latest federal intervention.
PREMIUM TIMES understands that the Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency is expected to brief journalists on the outbreak and the government’s response on Sunday.
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Events
Nigeria’s Christian Leaders to Unite in Abuja for First Lausanne Congress in Over 10 Years (Register Now)
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions has announced plans to convene about 5,000 church leaders, missionaries, theological educators, young Christian leaders and marketplace professionals at the first national Lausanne gathering in Nigeria in more than a decade.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress 2026 is scheduled to hold from October 27 to 30 at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, under the theme, “Let the Church Declare and Display Christ Together.”
According to the organisers, registration for the four-day congress is now open, with delegates expected from major Christian denominations and all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
The congress represents Nigeria’s national expression of the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation, which brought together more than 5,000 Christian leaders from over 200 countries in Incheon, South Korea, in September 2024.
The organisers said the Abuja gathering would provide a platform for church leaders and mission practitioners to strengthen collaboration and develop strategies for advancing Christian mission in Nigeria and beyond.
The four-day programme will feature plenary teaching, issue network deliberations, intercessory prayer, intergenerational dialogue and a public commissioning.
Discussions will focus on a range of issues, including frontier missions and unreached peoples, theological education, faith in the public square, business as mission, media and digital innovation, diaspora and migration, as well as student and youth ministry.
Speaking on the significance of the congress, National Chairman of Lausanne Nigeria and General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr, described Nigeria as both a mission field and an emerging mission force.
“Nigeria is no longer merely a mission field. She is a mission force. More than fifteen thousand Nigerian missionaries are already serving in over fifty countries, while within our own borders more than forty peoples still wait for the gospel,” he said.
Nmadu stressed that the congress was designed to bring together the wider Nigerian Church rather than a select group of Christian leaders.
“This Congress is not for a select few. It is for the whole Church, the whole gospel, the whole world,” he added.
Also speaking, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions, Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, called for greater unity and collaboration among Christian denominations, mission agencies and generations of leaders.
“For too long we have laboured in parallel. Denominations building alone. Agencies running alone. Generations praying alone. This is our God-given moment to come together as one body, one gospel and one mission force for the nations,” Ndukuba said.
The Lausanne Movement traces its roots to the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland, convened by renowned evangelist Billy Graham.
The gathering brought together about 2,400 Christian leaders from 150 nations and resulted in the Lausanne Covenant, which was drafted under the chairmanship of British theologian and pastor John R. W. Stott.
The organisers said the partnership between Graham and Stott helped shape the global mission movement for decades, with subsequent milestones including the Manila Manifesto of 1989, the Cape Town Commitment of 2010 and the Seoul Statement of 2024.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress follows a series of activities aimed at strengthening collaboration among Nigerian church, mission and marketplace leaders.
In March 2026, Lausanne Nigeria hosted the Global Executive Director of the Lausanne Movement, Dr. Michael Oh, in Abuja for a Global Mission Conversation focused on strategic collaboration for global impact.
The October congress is expected to build on that engagement by bringing the conversation to a wider national platform.
Registration Opens
Delegate registration for the congress is currently open and will close on September 30, 2026.
Nigerian delegates are required to pay ₦50,000, while international delegates will pay US$200.
The organisers said group registration is available for denominations, mission agencies, seminaries and professional fellowships sending multiple delegates.
They also announced that sponsorship opportunities are available to support participation by frontier missionaries, younger leaders and delegates from under-resourced regions.
Institutions interested in deeper involvement can also apply to serve as Hosting Organisations for the congress.
Further information and registration details are available through the Lausanne Nigeria platform.
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions said it is the national expression of the global Lausanne Movement in Nigeria and operates as a registered Incorporated Trustee based in Abuja.
Its Board of Trustees is chaired by Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, while Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr chairs the National Leadership. Dr. Joshua Utele chairs the Central Planning Committee for the 2026 congress.
The global Lausanne Movement is a fellowship of Christian leaders committed to advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ in every nation and sphere of society. It is led by Global Executive Director, Dr. Michael Oh.
For Enquiry call: +234 803 960 8804 or +234 803 973 2643.
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