AKURE, Nigeria – A mass poisoning linked to locally produced alcoholic and herbal drinks has killed nearly 50 people in Ondo State, leaving survivors blind and sending scores of patients into hospitals across communities in southwestern Nigeria.
Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control reported 48 deaths on September 18 from 182 identified cases across Odigbo and Irele local government areas. Ondo State officials had placed the toll at 49 one day earlier, creating a small difference between official counts as health teams continued tracing patients. NAFDAC said five survivors had lost their sight completely and two had suffered partial blindness.
Preliminary laboratory tests have now provided a disturbing explanation. NAFDAC collected 15 unlabelled samples of alcoholic and herbal mixtures from affected communities. Gas chromatography tests detected high concentrations of methanol. Eleven samples also contained Cannabis indica, according to the agency’s findings.
Methanol differs sharply from ethanol, the alcohol found in regulated alcoholic drinks. Human metabolism converts methanol into highly toxic compounds which attack the optic nerve, brain and other organs. Victims often develop headaches, weakness, abdominal pain, breathing problems, confusion and visual disturbances. Severe poisoning leads to blindness, organ failure, coma and death.
Ondo Health Commissioner Banji Ajaka described frightening deterioration among patients. “Once they consume, depending on the quantity, the kidneys will pack up, the eyes will go, the brain will be damaged,” Ajaka told The Associated Press.
One survivor described how quickly the poisoning struck. Sola Adebayo, 32, told TVC News from his hospital bed, “I took like two shots and I went out on Friday. On Saturday, I noticed that I could not see.” His account captures one of methanol poisoning’s most feared symptoms. Victims sometimes mistake early illness for ordinary intoxication before severe visual damage develops.
Authorities have traced cases across New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu, Oniparaga and Odigbo Town. Cases later appeared in neighbouring Irele Local Government Area. NAFDAC recorded 90 patients who entered hospital and later left after treatment, six people still receiving inpatient care and 31 people treated as outpatients in its September 18 update.
Residents have linked many cases to a strong herbal alcoholic mixture commonly called “Monkey Tail.” Police and health investigators have not concluded publicly whether every victim consumed the same product or whether several contaminated drinks circulated through communities. Investigators therefore face a critical task, identifying the production chain, suppliers, sellers and source of the methanol.
Police have arrested 15 people during the investigation. Ondo Police spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh said officers detained one suspect accused of producing substances believed to contain methanol. Investigators recovered suspected substances and sent samples for forensic examination. Prosecutors still need evidence linking individual suspects with specific deaths before courts determine criminal responsibility.
Ondo authorities responded by banning production, sale and distribution of unverified alcoholic drinks and related substances across the state. Health teams also intensified surveillance, patient management and community tracing as reports spread from Odigbo into Irele.
The tragedy carries an alarming historical echo.
Ondo State suffered another major methanol poisoning outbreak in April 2015. Residents in Ode-Irele suddenly developed blurred vision, headaches and loss of consciousness. Early rumours blamed a mysterious disease and even supernatural causes. Laboratory testing later found methanol in locally produced gin. Research into the outbreak recorded 37 cases and 27 deaths, producing a fatality rate of about 73 percent.
Only weeks later, Rivers State recorded another methanol outbreak linked to local gin. Researchers studying the 2015 crisis reported sellers saying ethanol shortages had pushed some producers toward methanol substitution. A broader academic review estimated 89 deaths across Nigerian outbreaks between April and June 2015 following consumption of locally produced spirits known by names including ogogoro, kaikai and apeteshi.
Eleven years later, Ondo faces another mass poisoning involving the same toxic chemical.
You should pay attention to the regulatory failure behind those similarities. Locally produced alcohol supports livelihoods and carries cultural importance across many Nigerian communities. Traditional production itself does not automatically produce poisonous drinks. Danger enters when manufacturers use unsafe ingredients, poor distillation practices, deliberate adulteration or industrial alcohol without proper controls.
Price also shapes demand. Cheap locally produced spirits attract customers facing economic pressure. Rural communities often have fewer regulated retail choices and weaker inspection systems. Informal distribution then allows unlabeled products to move from producers to roadside sellers, drinking spots and herbal vendors without laboratory testing or traceable records.
NAFDAC already faces a wider alcohol-control battle. The agency has pushed restrictions on alcohol sold in sachets and small containers, citing easy access among children and wider public health concerns. The Ondo deaths raise a separate but related challenge. Regulators need stronger control over unregistered production, bulk alcohol supply chains and toxic chemicals entering beverage markets.
Authorities now need to move beyond temporary bans. Nigeria needs routine sampling in high-risk markets, licensing of commercial producers, traceable industrial methanol sales, community education and rapid toxicology capacity. Police also need to follow supply chains beyond street sellers. Arresting poor vendors while leaving bulk suppliers untouched would fail to address the source.
Hospitals across affected districts need antidotes, dialysis access and clinicians trained to recognise toxic alcohol poisoning. Speed matters. A patient who develops blurred vision, severe vomiting, confusion or breathing difficulties after consuming suspected homemade alcohol needs emergency medical attention. Waiting for symptoms to disappear risks permanent injury or death.
The state also owes families a complete investigation. Residents deserve answers on where the methanol originated, who bought the chemical, who mixed the drinks, which distribution routes carried contaminated products and whether regulators missed earlier warning signs.
Nigeria confronted almost the same nightmare in Ondo in 2015. Communities buried dozens of people. Health agencies investigated. Officials banned dangerous products. Researchers later documented the causes.
Another mass funeral eleven years later shows enforcement did not go far enough.
Forty-eight or 49 deaths represent more than another public health statistic. Each number represents a person who expected an ordinary drink and instead encountered poison.
Nigeria now has laboratory evidence, previous experience and a trail investigators should follow.
Authorities must make sure Ondo never counts victims from the same failure again.
