Reported By: Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The death toll from the consumption of suspected toxic alcoholic and herbal concoctions in Ondo State has risen to 48, with 182 people affected and five rendered totally blind, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said on Friday, confirming preliminary laboratory findings of high concentrations of methanol in samples collected from affected communities.
According to an update report signed by NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the affected communities are in Odigbo Local Government Area, including New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga, with the incident particularly pronounced in Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu. The agency said cases have also been reported in Irele Local Government Area, indicating the geographical spread of the outbreak. Of the 182 reported cases, 90 persons were admitted and subsequently discharged, six remain hospitalised, and 31 were treated as outpatients. Five persons became totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.
The incident was first reported in early September, with the initial death toll standing at 31, comprising 20 people in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu. The Ondo State Government had confirmed 29 deaths as of September 13, with the Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Awolowo Ajaka, disclosing a 48.3 per cent fatality rate out of 60 suspected cases, with the majority of victims being males aged 16 to 55. Ajaka said the ministry became aware of the initial cluster following reports of sudden deaths in New Town on September 3, 2026, and that a second cluster was identified in Araromi-Obu, where eight persons reportedly died after consuming an alcoholic substance at a naming ceremony. He noted the rapid and deadly nature of the illness, saying some people died within two hours, while most died within 24 hours.
The laboratory findings have provided critical insight into the cause of the outbreak. NAFDAC said 15 unlabelled samples of the suspected concoction were subjected to toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening. An acute oral toxicity test conducted on laboratory mice recorded critically sick animals in all samples, with approximately 50 per cent mortality recorded in six of the 15 samples analysed. Chemical screening detected Cannabis indica in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol. Methanol is highly toxic and can cause severe poisoning, including blindness, organ failure and death. NAFDAC stressed that the findings were preliminary and that confirmatory analyses were ongoing to quantify the methanol concentration and identify other possible toxic agents. The combination of high mortality in animal testing and confirmed methanol contamination, the agency said, strongly suggested that the samples posed a serious public health risk requiring immediate regulatory intervention.
The human cost of the tragedy has been captured in the accounts of survivors and the grief of affected communities. One survivor, 32-year-old Shola Adebayo, recounted how he developed serious health complications after consuming the locally made drink known as "Monkey Tail," saying he would never drink again if God saved him. The victims presented with symptoms including headache, generalised body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty in breathing and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly. For families in Odigbo and Araromi-Obu, the outbreak has brought sudden and devastating loss, with some households mourning multiple deaths.
The Ondo State Government moved swiftly to contain the crisis, imposing a statewide ban on the sale and distribution of unverified alcoholic drinks and other substances. The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, announced the directive on September 13, saying the measure was aimed at containing the incident and protecting residents. The ban covers alcoholic drinks and other substances sold in sachets, bottles or other forms where their source, contents or regulatory status cannot be verified. The government ordered traders and distributors to immediately stop purchasing, selling or distributing any product whose source, contents or regulatory status cannot be verified, warning that violators would face the full force of the law. Security agencies were directed to clamp down on the sale and distribution of illegal and unapproved products across the state.
A multi-agency investigation has been activated, with the World Health Organisation, NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency joining the probe. Ajaka said the state government had activated a coordinated emergency response with the Ministry of Health leading a team comprising the affected local government authorities, traditional institutions, and relevant security and regulatory agencies, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, NAFDAC, NDLEA and the WHO. The response included the deployment of the State Rapid Response Team to the affected communities, active and retrospective case finding, epidemiological investigation and line-listing, verbal autopsy of selected deceased persons, and clinical management and referral of surviving patients. The Commissioner emphasised that all cases remained classified as suspected cases until the specific toxic agent responsible is identified, and that laboratory and toxicological findings would be critical in determining the specific agent involved.
NAFDAC said 15 persons had been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the implicated beverages. The agency said surveillance, medical case management, investigation and risk-control measures were ongoing, and that the reported figures could change as surveillance and verification continue. NAFDAC expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and urged continued cooperation with the investigation. The agency also noted that the increasing number of deaths, the number of persons requiring medical attention and the geographical extension of reported cases had made the incident a significant public health concern.
The outbreak has renewed attention on the dangers of unregulated locally produced alcoholic beverages, a persistent problem in Nigeria. Methanol poisoning outbreaks have been recorded in several states in recent years, often linked to the adulteration of locally brewed drinks with industrial alcohol. The absence of effective regulation and the ubiquity of informal production and distribution networks have made such incidents difficult to prevent. In 2025, a similar outbreak in Ogun State claimed several lives, and previous incidents in Rivers, Bayelsa and other states have highlighted the vulnerability of communities to toxic brews sold without regulatory oversight. The Ondo tragedy is the latest and one of the deadliest in recent memory, and it has prompted calls for stronger enforcement of food and beverage safety standards, greater public awareness of the risks of unverified products, and sustained action against the producers and distributors who profit from selling dangerous substances.
For the people of Odigbo and Araromi-Obu, the immediate priority is recovery. The government has urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious products, vendors and distribution activities to the appropriate authorities, stressing that protecting lives and safeguarding public health remains a collective responsibility. As the investigation continues and the full scale of the tragedy becomes clearer, the question of accountability will loom large. Fifteen arrests have been made, but the broader challenge of preventing a recurrence remains. The Ondo outbreak is a reminder that in the absence of effective regulation, the line between a traditional beverage and a deadly poison can be perilously thin.
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