The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) leader Abdulrauf Adeniji said nurses were not well equipped to handle the virus.

Nurses lack safety kits, while basic supplies like gloves and masks have not been provided, Mr Adeniji is quoted in the The Punch newspaper as saying.

It means health workers are being forced to carry their own safety kits, particularly those deployed at points of entry, he said.

Nigeria's Health Minister Osagie Ehanire is quoted by local media as saying the country is ready for any suspected case.

He said all passengers were being screen at airports, and that health officials had a plan in case of any suspected case.

All suspected coronavirus cases in Africa - one in Ivory Coast, four in Ethiopia and one in Kenya - have tested negative.