Ondo LG Bans Local Alcohol As Herbal Concoction Death Toll Hits 27

The death toll from the suspected consumption of adulterated alcoholic drinks in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State has risen from 24 to 27, with the council consequently banning the sale and consumption of locally made alcohol across the area.

The 24 deaths earlier reported in Odigbo town, New Town, and Araromi-Obu have now increased to 27, according to the Chairman of Odigbo Local Government Area, Adegroye Taiwo, who also disclosed that more than 30 people were receiving treatment in hospitals.

The development, which has caused tension in the affected communities and triggered a protest by youths, was followed by preliminary medical findings indicating that some of the victims consumed toxic or adulterated locally made alcoholic drinks.

Taiwo said he contacted Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Saturday after receiving reports of people dying in different parts of the local government, adding that the governor subsequently sent a medical team from Akure to investigate the development.

The chairman said the team included toxicologists, officials in charge of disease and malaria control, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the World Health Organisation, while corpses were taken to the General Hospital, Ore, for medical examination and autopsy.

According to him, the medical team later visited Araromi-Obu, where another nine deaths had been recorded, while more than 30 people were receiving treatment in hospitals.

He said, “Those people who died consumed toxic alcohol. People call it Jeji, Ere, giving it different names. Those drinks that are not approved by NAFDAC are the ones being sold, like ogogoro and ethanol. These were the drinks that the primary test showed, based on the results of the toxicologists who came.

”We have  banned sale of any locally made alcohol across the local government. We’ve directed the police to ensure that nobody sells or consumes. We’ve banned the consumption of alcohol on the streets so that we don’t want to record further deaths in this local government.”

Taiwo said the local government had directed the police and other security agencies to arrest and prosecute anyone found selling or consuming the banned alcoholic drinks.

He disclosed that a male seller of the suspected adulterated drink had been arrested in Araromi-Obu and would be taken to Akure for further investigation to establish where he obtained the substance.

The chairman also said a female seller in Orita Odigbo had died after consuming the alcohol she was selling, adding that there were several outlets where the locally made drinks were sold.

He said the affordability of the drinks contributed to their consumption, noting that some residents preferred locally made alcohol because it was considerably cheaper than conventional alcoholic beverages.

“People like buying what is cheaper. They prefer buying Ogogoro of 100 Naira than buying beer of 1000 Naira,” he said.

Meanwhile, a 32-year-old survivor, Shola Adebayo, narrated how he developed serious problems with his sight after consuming two shots of a drink known as “Monkey Tail.”

Adebayo said a friend brought the drink on Friday and asked him to drink with him, adding that he had taken the substance occasionally before the incident.

He said, “On Friday, a friend brought Monkey Tail and asked that we drink together. I took two shots and went home. On Saturday, I discovered I can’t see very well, so I called my sister, and I was taken to the hospital for treatment.”

The survivor, who said he was getting better, added that he was praying to regain his sight, saying five people took the drinks before going their separate ways.

“If God saved me, I swear I will never take any drinks again, even beer, I won’t take. God should please save me,” he said.

A relative of some of the victims, Adebayo Adetayo Adedeji, said he lost his cousin, Leo, and two friends, Bidemi and Matthew, in the incident.

Adedeji said Bidemi, who was under 40 and unmarried, was a community administrator in New Town and had not been sick before his death, adding that he only complained of dizziness before he died.

He said residents initially suspected that a taboo could be responsible for the deaths before they later learned that some of the youths had consumed certain substances, adding that the local government’s ban on alcohol was necessary to prevent further deaths.

‎The paramount ruler of Odigbo Kingdom, Oba Rufus Akinrimade, also said investigations by health officials and other stakeholders linked the deaths to the intake of locally made alcoholic substances, although he said the source of the substances remained unknown.

‎The monarch dismissed claims that the incident was connected to a taboo involving a horse, saying, “It is not a taboo in Odigbo culture and tradition.”

‎He urged residents, particularly youths, to be careful about what they consume, saying, “You don’t joke. You don’t toy with your life. You have to be careful and mindful about what you consume. Even though it’s not a matter of alcohol, whatever is going into your system, it should be pure. You should know the source.”