RismadarVoice Reporters
September 17, 2026
The Ondo State Government has announced that 49 people have died and about 170 others have been affected in connection with the consumption of suspected poisonous alcoholic drinks in parts of the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, disclosed the updated figures while providing an update on the government’s response to the incident.
Ajaka said eight of the latest deaths were recorded in Irele Local Government Area, which has emerged as a major area of concern as authorities intensify efforts to contain the situation.
He said the affected population includes people who have been hospitalised as well as those who died following consumption of the suspected toxic substance.
“We have about 170 people affected altogether, including those who have been admitted and those who have died,” the commissioner said.
According to him, the state government has deployed medical and surveillance teams to affected communities and is working to prevent the incident from spreading to other parts of the state.
He said response teams were already operating in Irele following reports of deaths linked to the suspected poisonous drink.
Ajaka added that the state was working with relevant federal security, regulatory and health agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as investigations continue.
He said the state’s emergency response to the incident had also received commendation during a national meeting involving state health commissioners and officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
The commissioner had earlier linked an outbreak in Odigbo Local Government Area to locally produced alcoholic drinks and herbal mixtures reportedly consumed at two naming ceremonies.
The affected communities include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga.
Ajaka said investigations showed that an individual from outside one of the communities brought the drink that was consumed by guests at one of the ceremonies.
He warned residents against consuming unregulated alcoholic beverages and cautioned that products marketed as herbal remedies could also pose serious health risks when their ingredients and production processes are unknown.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command has arrested 15 suspects in connection with the production, sale and distribution of a local herbal alcoholic mixture popularly known as “monkey tail.”
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said an investigation had commenced to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
One of those arrested, Oloruntoba Babatunde, also known as “Meko,” is suspected of involvement in the production of the substance believed to contain methanol.
Abayomi said Babatunde was assisting investigators, while substances suspected to be methanol had been recovered and forwarded for forensic analysis.
The examination is expected to establish the composition of the substances and determine whether they are linked to the reported deaths.
The arrests followed the state government’s decision to ban the sale and distribution of unverified alcoholic drinks after an earlier incident in Odigbo in which 30 people reportedly died, and 50 others were hospitalised after consuming the herbal alcoholic mixture.
