Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a suspected producer of harmful alcoholic substances and 14 others following the deaths of at least 30 people in Araromi-Obu and Odigbo communities of Odigbo Local Government Area. The suspect, identified as Oloruntoba Babatunde, also known as Meko, was apprehended after several youths became critically ill and died following the consumption of suspected alcoholic concoctions. Substances suspected to be methanol were recovered from him and have been sent for forensic examination.
The arrests followed a coordinated enforcement operation ordered by the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, as part of efforts to curb the production, distribution, and consumption of dangerous alcoholic drinks and herbal concoctions. Officers of the State Criminal Investigation Department launched the operation under relevant provisions of the Liquor Act across Ore and Odigbo, leading to the arrest of 14 suspected sellers and consumers of the substances. The police spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the suspects are assisting investigators, while samples of the recovered substances have been sent for analysis. The case has been transferred to the State CID in Akure for comprehensive investigation, and a team of detectives visited Araromi-Obu on September 12 to gather additional evidence.
The tragedy began to unfold in early September, when residents of Odigbo town, Newtown, Orita, and Araromi-Obu began falling ill after consuming locally produced alcoholic drinks, commonly referred to as monkey tail, jeji, or ere. The Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, confirmed that 60 suspected cases had been identified across the affected communities, with the majority of victims being males aged between 16 and 55 years. He said 29 deaths had been officially captured at the time, though the toll later rose to 30. The clinical features recorded among the victims included headache, generalised body pains, weakness, visual disturbance, difficulty in breathing, and altered consciousness. Some patients deteriorated rapidly and died.
Ajaka, however, cautioned against concluding that the alcoholic or herbal substances were solely responsible for the deaths, stressing that laboratory confirmation was still awaited. He said 36 biological specimens, including blood and urine samples, had been collected from affected persons and submitted for laboratory analysis, while samples of suspected alcoholic substances recovered from the communities had also been secured for toxicological examination in collaboration with relevant regulatory agencies, including NAFDAC. The World Health Organisation also joined the investigation, with a medical team deployed from Akure after the local government chairman alerted Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The human cost of the tragedy has been devastating. A 32-year-old survivor, Shola Adebayo, told reporters he lost his sight after consuming a locally made drink known as monkey tail. He said he took two shots after a friend brought the drink from Ore, and the next day he could no longer see properly. He was taken to the hospital and is gradually recovering, but he swore never to take any alcoholic drink again. A relative of some victims, Adebayo Adetayo Adedeji, said the community lost three young men, including his cousin and two friends. He identified them as Leo, Bidemi, and Matthew, adding that Bidemi's death was particularly painful because he was not known to be suffering from any illness before he suddenly complained of dizziness and died.
The Odigbo Local Government Council, under Chairman Adegoroye Taiwo, imposed an immediate ban on the sale and consumption of locally produced alcoholic beverages across the council area. The state government followed with a broader directive covering alcoholic drinks and other substances sold in sachets, bottles, or other forms whose sources or regulatory status could not be verified. The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, said the ban was aimed at preventing further deaths. The police have also intensified enforcement against the production, distribution, and sale of unapproved, adulterated, or dangerous alcoholic products, and have urged residents to refrain from consuming unlabelled or suspicious local drinks and herbal mixtures whose contents cannot be verified.
The traditional ruler of Odigbo Kingdom, Oba Dr. Rufus Akinrimade, dismissed claims that the deaths were linked to a cultural taboo, stating that investigations had revealed the cause to be the intake of different locally made alcoholic substances. He urged residents, especially youths, to be careful about what they consume and to know the source of substances entering their bodies. The Ondo State Government has activated and deployed all emergency medical facilities to the affected communities, with the general hospitals at Araromi-Obu and Ore strengthened with personnel and consumables to attend to patients. Ambulances and the state emergency agency have also been placed on standby.
The government has also constituted a Board for Alternative Medical Practice to regulate the production of alternative medicine in the state, acknowledging that the sector is currently unregulated and difficult to control. The Commissioner for Health said practitioners had been brought together to form a task force to identify and register those producing local substances, warning that anyone found to have deliberately produced, adulterated, or distributed poisonous substances would be held accountable in accordance with the law. As the forensic analysis continues and the suspects remain in custody, the people of Odigbo are left to mourn their dead and to wonder how many more lives will be lost before the trade in toxic concoctions is finally brought to an end.
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