Dora Akunyili, Stella Adadevoh, Kefee Momoh… the 10 most painful deaths of 2014

2. ADADEVOH AND THE ‘EBOLA SEVEN’

Stella Adadevoh, a doctor at First Consultants hospital laid down her life for her country on August 19. But she made the sacrifice itself much earlier in July, after insisting that Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer, only suspected of carrying Ebola at the time, should not be discharged from the hospital under no circumstance until tests on him had been concluded.

Although Sawyer failed in his numerous attempts to force his exit from the hospital, he succeeded in infecting a number of hospital staff, including Adadevoh, with the viral disease.

Besides Adadevoh, Nigeria also lost Justina Echelonu, a 25-year-old nurse who assumed work at the hospital just one day before Sawyer entered Nigeria. Ejelonu died on August 14, 2014.

Kogi-born Jato Asihu Abdulqudir, the 36-year-old ECOWAS official who helped Sawyer with his personal effects at the airport, also fell to the deadly disease.

Evelyn Ukoh, a maid at the hospital; Ike Enemuo, a Port Harcourt doctor who died with his wife; Amos Abaniwo, chief consultant (anesthesiology) and director of clinical service at First Consultants were the other casualties

By the time Nigeria was declared Ebola-free on October 20, eight of the 20 infected patients had died.