The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed Nigeria's first case of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.

The NCDC disclosed this on Wednesday morning in a statement confirming the detection of the variant also known as the B.1.1.529 lineage.

The agency revealed the samples that tested positive for the variant were obtained from three persons, all of whom have a history of travel to South Africa.

The NCDC said, "These cases were recent arrivals in the country in the past week. Follow up to ensure isolation, linkage to clinical care, contact tracing and other relevant response activities have commenced. Arrangements are also being made to notify the country where travel originated according to the provisions of the International Health Regulations"