Ondo Alcohol Deaths Caused by Methanol Poisoning—NAFDAC
Nigeria’s food and beverage regulatory agency—National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)—says preliminary laboratory analysis suggests methanol poisoning was responsible for the recent deaths in Ondo State.
At least 48 people have now died after consuming the locally produced alcoholic and herbal concoctions across several communities in Ondo State.
Officials say the tests revealed lethal concentrations of methanol, a highly toxic industrial alcohol.
When ingested, methanol can rapidly cause permanent blindness, severe organ failure, and death.
Scope of the Crisis and Affected Communities
The outbreak, which began in early September, has primarily devastated the Odigbo Local Government Area (LGA).
Cases were also recorded in the neighboring Irele Local Government Area.
In a Friday update, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye disclosed that the crisis has escalated significantly since the initial reports.
Early data recorded 31 fatalities (20 in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu). Intensive surveillance and field investigations have since pushed the death toll to 48, with the total number of affected individuals reaching 182.
Hospitalisations and Severe Health Impacts
The medical fallout from the contaminated local brews has overwhelmed local healthcare responses. 90 patients were admitted to health facilities and subsequently discharged, while six individuals remain hospitalised.
An additional 31 individuals are currently receiving treatment as outpatients.
However, five victims have suffered total, irreversible blindness, while two others have sustained partial loss of vision.
Medical logs document a rapid deterioration in patients. Documented symptoms include severe headaches, generalized body pain, extreme weakness, visual disturbances, acute difficulty breathing, and altered states of consciousness.
Law Enforcement and Regulatory Crackdown
As part of an aggressive, ongoing investigation to contain the distribution of the lethal beverages, NAFDAC and local law enforcement have arrested 15 suspects. The individuals are being held over the illegal production, sale, and distribution of the unapproved alcoholic and herbal mixtures.
Residents in Ondo State and surrounding regions are strongly advised to desist from consuming unregistered, locally brewed, or unvetted artisanal herbal alcoholic drinks.
The Danger of Informal Alcohol Markets
The tragedy in Ondo State highlights a persistent public health challenge in Nigeria: the regulation of locally brewed artisanal spirits, or informal herbal bitters.
Informal distillers often lack the temperature-control equipment required to separate safe ethanol from highly toxic methanol during fermentation. In worse cases, unscrupulous vendors deliberately spike beverages with industrial methanol or methylated spirits to cheaply boost the liquid’s perceived “potency.”
NAFDAC has been carrying out a consistent campaign against cheap, unbranded spirits that lack a registered NAFDAC number, the latest being against sachet roadside alcohol beverages. Its advocacy has often been met with resistance by local producers.
