Key points
- NAFDAC says gas chromatography confirmed high methanol concentrations in herbal and alcoholic concoctions linked to 48 deaths and 182 cases of illness in Ondo State as of Sept. 17; 11 of 15 samples also contained Cannabis indica.
- Five people have been left totally blind and two partially blind; six remain in hospital, 90 were admitted and discharged, and 31 were treated as outpatients.
- Fifteen people have been arrested over the production, sale and distribution of the drinks, and NAFDAC has warned the public against all unregistered locally made alcoholic or herbal drinks.
Nigeria’s food and drug regulator has confirmed that herbal and alcoholic concoctions blamed for 48 deaths in Ondo State contained high concentrations of methanol, the industrial alcohol that causes blindness and organ failure even in small doses, and that most samples were also laced with cannabis.
In an update signed on Friday by Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said 182 cases of illness had been recorded as of Sept. 17, with five people left totally blind and two partially blind. Of those affected, 90 were admitted and later discharged, 31 were treated as outpatients and six remain in hospital.
The outbreak began in early September in Odigbo Local Government Area. NAFDAC listed New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga among the affected communities, with Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu hit hardest, and said cases had since spread to Irele Local Government Area. All figures, it added, remain subject to verification.
What the lab found
NAFDAC tested 15 unlabeled samples of the suspected drinks using acute oral toxicity trials, gas chromatography and microbiological screening.
Eleven of the 15 tested positive for Cannabis indica, and gas chromatography confirmed high methanol levels across the samples. In the toxicity trials, laboratory mice fell critically ill on every sample, and roughly half died in six of them.
“Preliminary findings are gravely concerning,” the agency said, adding that confirmatory tests to quantify the methanol and identify any further toxic agents are still underway.
The result closes a gap in the official account. Earlier this week, Ondo Health Commissioner Banji Ajaka attributed the deaths to ethanol, ordinary drinking alcohol, while police pointed to methanol. NAFDAC’s testing settles it.
Victims reported headache, body weakness and pain, visual disturbance, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness, with some deteriorating quickly. Methanol poisoning typically produces exactly that pattern, and blindness is its signature injury.
Arrests and a warning
Fifteen people have been arrested in connection with producing, selling and distributing the implicated drinks, NAFDAC said. Ondo police had earlier detained a suspected producer known locally as “Meko” and 14 others accused of breaching a local ban on herbal drink sales; no charges have been announced.
The agency said surveillance, case management and risk-control measures were continuing in the affected communities alongside state health authorities.
It warned the public against buying or drinking any unlicensed, unregistered or locally prepared alcoholic or herbal concoction of unknown composition, and urged anyone with sudden visual problems, severe headache, breathing difficulty or confusion after drinking such products to seek medical help immediately.
Adeyeye commiserated with the bereaved families and said “every necessary regulatory action is being taken.”