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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed the arrest of 15 individuals suspected to be linked to the production, sale, and distribution of the deadly brews that have killed 48 people in communities within the Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, with the outbreak now spreading to neighbouring Irele LGA.
In a press release on Friday, the agency said the affected communities include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu, and Oniparaga, with Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu bearing the heaviest toll. Of the 182 recorded cases as of September 17, 90 persons were treated and discharged, 31 managed as outpatients, and 6 remain hospitalised. In a chilling twist, five victims have been left completely blind and two others partially blind from the poisoning.
Patients reportedly presented with headaches, generalised body weakness, visual disturbances, breathing difficulty, and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.
Laboratory findings have pointed to a lethal cocktail behind the tragedy. Out of 15 unlabelled samples tested, 11 contained cannabis indica, while gas chromatography detected dangerously high concentrations of methanol — a toxic industrial substance known to cause blindness, organ failure, and death. Acute toxicity testing on laboratory mice recorded roughly 50 per cent mortality across six of the samples, underscoring the severity of the contamination.
NAFDAC said surveillance, case management, and risk-control measures remain active across the affected areas, in coordination with public health authorities.
The agency, led by Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, extended condolences to bereaved families and reassured the public that regulatory action is ongoing. NAFDAC further warned Nigerians against patronising unlicensed or unregistered alcoholic and herbal concoctions, urging anyone experiencing sudden visual problems, severe headaches, breathing difficulty, or confusion after consuming such substances to seek immediate medical attention.
Confirmatory tests to determine exact methanol levels and identify any additional toxins are still underway, as investigators race to establish the full scope of the outbreak.
