By BONIFACE AKARAH

At least 48 people have died while 182 others have been affected following the reported consumption of locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in parts of Ondo State, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said.

NAFDAC, in an update signed by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on September 18, 2026, said the incident, which was initially reported in early September, was concentrated particularly in Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu, with other affected communities including New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo and Oniparaga. The agency said cases had also been reported in Irele Local Government Area.

According to the agency, 90 affected persons have been admitted and discharged, six remain hospitalised, while 31 were treated as outpatients. Five people reportedly became totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.

NAFDAC said the affected persons presented with symptoms including headache, general body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.

The agency said its investigation had so far led to the arrest of 15 persons allegedly connected with the production, sale and distribution of the suspected locally produced alcoholic and herbal beverages.

NAFDAC said samples of the suspected concoction had been subjected to laboratory, toxicological, chemical and microbiological examinations as part of efforts to establish what caused the illnesses and deaths.

“The laboratory conducted toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening to identify potential toxicants on the fifteen (15) unlabeled samples that were submitted to the laboratory,” the agency said.

It added that acute oral toxicity tests were conducted using laboratory mice in accordance with approved laboratory procedures and OECD standard guidelines.

“The acute oral toxicity test results for all samples recorded critically sick mice and approximately 50% mortality were recorded in six samples out of the 15 analyzed, indicating significant toxic potential of the samples,” NAFDAC said.

The agency explained that the critically ill animals recovered after 24 hours, but warned that recovery did not necessarily rule out the possibility of death following a subsequent exposure.

NAFDAC further disclosed that its chemical screening detected Cannabis indica in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.

“The chemical screening results indicate that eleven (11) samples have cannabis indica while chemical analysis with Gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentration of methanol. Methanol is a highly toxic substance known to cause severe health effects including blindness, organ failure, and death,” the agency said.

According to NAFDAC, the combination of the animal-test mortality and confirmed methanol contamination strongly indicates that the samples constitute a serious public health risk, although further confirmatory analysis is still being conducted.

“The combination of high mortality in animal testing and confirmed methanol contamination strongly suggests that the samples pose a serious public health risk. However, these findings require further confirmatory analyses,” the agency said.

NAFDAC said further tests were ongoing to determine the concentration of methanol in the samples and identify any other potentially toxic substances.

It warned that methanol in oral preparations is extremely dangerous and can cause severe poisoning, including blindness, organ failure and death.

The agency said the incident remained a significant public health concern because of the rising number of deaths, the number of people requiring medical attention and the geographical spread of reported cases.

NAFDAC said surveillance, case management, investigation and risk-control measures were ongoing, while stressing that the reported figures remained subject to continued verification as investigations and surveillance activities progressed.

The agency commiserated with families who lost loved ones in the incident and urged continued regulatory and public health measures to prevent further harm.