At least 49 people have died in Ondo State, south-western Nigeria, after consuming a suspected poisonous herbal drink containing toxic levels of ethanol and methanol.
Health authorities confirm that around 170 people have been affected by the health crisis, which initially broke out in Araromi-Obu and Odigbo before spreading to the neighbouring Irele Local Government Area.
Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, confirmed that medical teams have been deployed to Irele, where eight fatalities were recorded overnight on Tuesday. Local officials in Odigbo reported 24 deaths across Araromi-Obu and Odigbo communities earlier in the week before the total rose sharply to 49.
Dr. Ajaka attributed the mass poisoning to ethanol contamination, stating that emergency health workers are working to prevent further spread across the state.
Key developments in the police and health investigation include:
- Suspect Arrested: Ondo State Police Command has detained Oloruntoba Babatunde, known locally as “Meko”, on suspicion of manufacturing the lethal herbal concoction containing methanol.
- Prohibition Violations: Police arrested 14 additional individuals for defying a local government ban on the sale and distribution of unregistered herbal mixtures.
- Forensic Examination: Authorities confirmed that the bodies of the deceased are undergoing forensic examinations to assist ongoing criminal investigations.
Police spokesperson DSP Abayomi Jimoh stated that security and medical interventions have contained the outbreak in Araromi-Obu, while forensic tracking continues to determine the full distribution chain of the contaminated liquid.
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