Nigeria, April 23 -- Two fresh cases of polio have been found in Jigawa State, Nigeria, marking the first appearance of the disease in the area since the country was declared free of the wild poliovirus five years ago.

The cases were recorded in Hadejia and Suletankarkar Local Government Areas, raising concern about the reappearance of a disease many believed had been controlled.

Nigeria was declared polio-free by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF in 2020, but the latest development shows that the virus is not completely gone.

So far in 2025, a total of 18 polio cases have been reported across nine states and 18 local government areas.

During a recent event in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa, UNICEF warned that if not quickly addr...