A protocol officer at the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Jatto Abdulqudir, has died in Lagos after contracting the dreaded Ebola disease and struggling with it for days.

The sub regional body made the announcement on Tuesday.

Abdulqudir, 38, was one of the principal staff members at the liaison office of the ECOWAS that worked with the late Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who brought the Ebola disease into the country.

Sawyer died from the disease at a Lagos hospital on July 25, 2014.

The statement from the ECOWAS read in part, “The Commission wishes to use this opportunity to express its gratitude to Nigerian government authorities and others who contributed to managing the late officer while under quarantine. The Management of the Commission wishes to commiserate with Mr. Abdulqudir’s family and colleagues and prays for the repose of his soul.”

Before the sad event, the commission said it was working in collaboration with Nigerian health authorities and had disinfected all the facilities of the ECOWAS Lagos Liaison Office as part of precautionary measures to safeguard the health, safety and security of staff members.

The commission reassured staff of all its institutions all over the region that it is taking all necessary steps to guarantee their health and safety.

Abdulqudir is the third person in Nigeria to have died of the Ebola disease, following the death of Sawyerr and a nurse who attended to him after he collapsed in Lagos.

So far, Nigeria has recorded 10 infections of the Ebola virus and over 40 persons have been quarantined.