The Ministry of Health, Cross River state in Southern Nigeria said 20 people are suspected to have died of cholera.
Last week, about 10 villages were affected, prompting health officials to boost surveillance in the region.
The Permanent Secretary at the Cross River Ministry of Health, Iwara Iwara, confirmed the cholera outbreak, but did not issue an official number of resulting deaths.
A local chief however said up to 20 people may have died of the deadly disease.
“As at Saturday, more than 20 persons have died because of suspected cholera across the 10 villages,” he said.
Iwara gave assurances that the state government had commissioned a rapid health response team to tackle the outbreak.
Nigeria has been troubled by cholera outbreaks this year, some attributed to resultant floods in parts of the country following heavy rainfall.
According to reports, Borno State recorded some 5,000 cases with 178 associated deaths across 13 local government areas.