The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed that 48 people have died following the consumption of suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in parts of Ondo State.
NAFDAC, in an update signed by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on September 18, 2026, said a total of 182 cases had so far been recorded in connection with the incident.
The affected communities include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga, with Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu particularly affected.
The agency said the incident was first reported in early September after residents who had reportedly consumed the suspected concoction developed sudden and severe illnesses, with some subsequently dying.
NAFDAC said the initial report put the death toll at 31, comprising 20 deaths in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu, but added that the number of deaths and affected persons had increased as investigations progressed.
According to the latest update, 90 affected persons were admitted and subsequently discharged, while six remain hospitalised. Another 31 were treated as outpatients.
The agency also reported that five people had become totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.
Symptoms recorded among affected persons include headache, general body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness. Some cases reportedly deteriorated rapidly.
NAFDAC disclosed that 15 persons had so far been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the locally produced alcoholic/herbal beverages.
The regulatory agency said it had collected samples of the suspected concoction for comprehensive laboratory, forensic and toxicological analysis to determine its chemical composition and identify potentially toxic substances, adulterants, contaminants or undeclared ingredients.
According to NAFDAC, 15 unlabeled samples were subjected to toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening.
The agency said acute oral toxicity tests using laboratory mice recorded critical illness in the animals, with approximately 50 per cent mortality recorded in six of the 15 samples analysed.
It added that chemical screening detected Cannabis indica in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.
NAFDAC warned that methanol is highly toxic and can cause severe poisoning, including blindness, organ failure and death.
The agency said the combination of the animal-test mortality and confirmed methanol contamination strongly suggests that the samples pose a serious public health risk, although further confirmatory analyses are still being conducted.
“Further confirmatory testing is ongoing to quantify methanol concentration and identify other possible toxic agents,” the agency said.
NAFDAC said the findings had prompted immediate regulatory intervention, surveillance, case management, investigation and risk-control measures to prevent further harm.
The agency also identified Irele Local Government Area as another affected area in the latest assessment.
NAFDAC stressed that the figures remain subject to verification as surveillance and investigations continue, while commiserating with the families who lost loved ones in the incident.
Comment here