ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Federal Capital Territory Administration has launched an urgent two-week mass rabies vaccination campaign targeting between 15,000 and 20,000 dogs and cats across the six area councils of the nation’s capital, following confirmed rabies outbreaks in Gwagwalada and Kuje that have prompted a comprehensive public health response .
The exercise, coordinated by the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, comes after the FCTA confirmed eight cases of rabies and two human deaths in the territory on July 15, 2026, triggering the administration to intensify measures to prevent further spread of the deadly virus . The campaign covers all 62 wards across the six area councils of the FCT, with designated vaccination centres operating daily throughout the two-week period .
More than 100 experienced veterinary officers have been deployed to strategic locations across the territory to implement the campaign, with an initial batch of 12,000 vaccine doses already available and being administered to both domestic and stray animals . The Mandate Secretary of ARDS, Abdullahi Suleiman Ango, who led a field assessment of the exercise in Kuje and Gwagwalada on Wednesday, expressed confidence that the two-week timeframe would be sufficient to achieve the target .
“Our target is 15,000 to 20,000 dogs and cats. We have the firm conviction that with this, we are going to stop whatever we are scared or afraid is going to happen,” Ango said. “We have over 100 experienced veterinary officers on the field, so two weeks is sufficient to cover the FCT” .
The Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Karnak Dandam, emphasised the lethal nature of the disease while stressing that it is entirely preventable through animal vaccination. “Rabies is a deadly disease. If a rabid dog bites a human and post-exposure treatment is not administered immediately, death is inevitable once clinical symptoms manifest. However, it is 100 percent preventable if the primary vectors—specifically dogs—are vaccinated,” Dandam said .
Ango credited the prompt approval and support of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike with enabling the secretariat to deploy resources quickly to the affected communities. “With our minister at the helm of affairs, residents do not need to be scared of anything,” Ango said, urging residents to remain calm and cooperate with veterinary teams deployed across communities .
The FCTA stressed that the vaccination exercise is entirely free and fully funded by the administration. Officials warned that no veterinary or animal health officer should demand or accept payment from pet owners, and anyone found violating the directive would face appropriate disciplinary action .
Feedback collected during field inspections showed strong community participation, particularly among local hunters and dog owners . Nation Yusuf, a dog owner who brought his animals for their first rabies vaccination, expressed satisfaction with the exercise, noting that it replaced his previous reliance on unverified home treatments . Similarly, Bashir Yusuf, a local hunter who presented three dogs for immunisation, described the intervention as timely and praised the FCTA for providing veterinary services at no cost .
According to the World Health Organisation, rabies kills approximately 59,000 people globally each year, with Africa and Asia accounting for over 95% of deaths . Over 99% of human rabies cases are dog-mediated, making mass vaccination of dogs the most effective strategy for preventing transmission. The WHO recommends vaccinating at least 70% of the dog population to break the transmission cycle, a target the FCTA is working to achieve through this campaign .
Dandam disclosed that some communities had taken early measures to vaccinate their animals following reports of the outbreak, with Kuje Area Council initiating local vaccination efforts and Bassa village partnering with the secretariat to administer vaccines to animals in their community . The FCTA will continue to monitor the vaccination campaign across the area councils as it pushes to meet its target and prevent further spread of the deadly disease across the nation’s capital .
