By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed the deaths of 48 people following the consumption of locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in Ondo State, while 182 others became critically ill.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, 18 September, 2026 evening, saying the affected communities included New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga, all in Odigbo Local Government Area.
The incident was first reported in early September 2026 after several residents suddenly fell ill and died following consumption of the suspected herbal concoction.
Adeyeye said initial field reports recorded 31 deaths, comprising 20 in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu, while several other affected persons were hospitalised or placed under strict medical observation.
She said further investigations and surveillance later raised the toll to 48 deaths, with 182 people critically ill.
Of the affected persons, 90 were admitted and subsequently discharged, six remained hospitalised and 31 were treated as outpatients. Five victims reportedly became totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.
According to Adeyeye, the affected persons presented symptoms including headache, generalised weakness and body pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.
She also disclosed that 15 people had been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the implicated locally produced alcoholic and herbal beverages.
NAFDAC, she said, collected samples of the suspected concoctions for laboratory examination and toxicological studies to determine their chemical composition and identify possible toxic substances, adulterants, contaminants or undeclared ingredients.
The agency subjected 15 unlabelled samples to toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening. An acute oral toxicity test was conducted on laboratory mice in line with approved methods, laboratory standard operating procedures and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines.
Chemical analysis was conducted using gas chromatography to detect toxic contaminants, while microbiological examinations followed United States Pharmacopeia standards and laboratory procedures.
Adeyeye said the preliminary toxicity tests showed that all the samples caused critical illness in the laboratory mice, while about 50 per cent mortality was recorded in six of the 15 samples, indicating significant toxic potential.
She noted that the critically ill mice recovered after 24 hours, but warned that some could die if exposed to a second dose at the estimated dose level.
Chemical screening also detected *Cannabis indica* in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed a high concentration of methanol.
Adeyeye explained that methanol is highly toxic and can cause severe poisoning, blindness, organ failure and death when ingested.
She said the combination of the high mortality recorded during the animal tests and the confirmed presence of methanol strongly suggested that the samples posed a serious public health risk.
The NAFDAC boss, however, stressed that the findings were preliminary and required further confirmatory analyses. She said testing was ongoing to quantify the methanol concentration and identify other possible toxic agents.
She added that the findings required immediate regulatory intervention to prevent further harm, noting that methanol in oral preparations was extremely dangerous and could cause severe poisoning, blindness, organ failure and death.
Adeyeye described the incident as a significant public health concern because of the rising number of deaths and people requiring medical attention.
She said the figures reported as of September 17, 2026, remained subject to verification as investigations and surveillance activities continued.
Adeyeye commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased as laboratory analyses and investigations continued to establish the toxic contaminants responsible for the tragedy.
