A public-health crisis following reported consumption of suspected contaminated alcoholic or herbal preparations has spread to another part of Ondo State, with authorities reporting 49 deaths and about 170 people affected as health officials and police investigate the cause.
The latest cases have emerged in Irele Local Government Area after earlier clusters were recorded in Araromi-Obu, Odigbo and surrounding communities in Odigbo Local Government Area.
Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, said about 170 people had been affected, including those admitted for treatment and those reported dead. He said eight deaths had been recorded in Irele by Tuesday night.
The widening footprint marks a sharp escalation from the 24 deaths initially reported on September 9 and the higher figures announced as health authorities expanded surveillance and treatment.
But one critical question remains unresolved: what exactly caused the deaths?
Earlier in the investigation, Ajaka said the pattern of illness and reported exposure pointed towards a toxic alcoholic substance, while stressing that laboratory evidence establishing the precise cause was still pending.
Blood, urine and beverage samples were sent for toxicological examination.
That distinction remains important as the emergency moves from immediate treatment and containment into a wider criminal and public-health investigation.
Police arrest suspected producer as forensic inquiry continues
Ondo State Police Command said it arrested Oloruntoba Babatunde, also known as “Meko,” who is suspected of producing substances investigators believe may be connected to the deaths.
Police said recovered substances suspected to contain methanol were submitted for forensic examination to determine their composition and whether they were connected to the fatalities.
The arrest is part of an investigation. It does not establish criminal responsibility.
Police also reported arrests connected to alleged violations of restrictions on the sale and consumption of some locally produced herbal preparations.
The investigation involving the suspected producer has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Akure.
Authorities have also said post-mortem and other medical procedures are being used to establish the actual causes of death.
From one cluster to a wider emergency
The crisis was first publicly confirmed after residents in Araromi-Obu and Odigbo became ill following reported consumption of locally produced drinks.
As the number of patients increased, state authorities deployed health teams for surveillance, testing and treatment and imposed restrictions on some locally brewed alcoholic and herbal products in affected areas.
Patients were reported to have presented with symptoms including severe headaches, weakness, visual impairment, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness.
Some deteriorated rapidly.
The appearance of cases in Irele now raises a wider accountability question for state and local authorities: whether the suspected products moved through a broader production or distribution chain, and whether existing controls were sufficient to identify the danger before more residents were exposed.
What investigators still need to establish
Three questions remain central.
First is the laboratory finding. Officials have raised suspicions around toxic alcohol exposure, while police have referred to recovered material suspected to contain methanol.
Neither should be treated as the final forensic conclusion until testing is complete.
Second is the distribution chain. Investigators must establish where the products consumed by affected residents originated, how widely they circulated and whether all reported cases are connected to the same source.
Third is the full human toll.
The figure of 49 deaths is the latest reported count, but health authorities will need to reconcile hospital records, community reports and forensic findings as the investigation continues.
Authorities have advised residents to avoid unregulated alcoholic and herbal preparations and to seek urgent medical attention if serious symptoms develop after consumption.
For affected communities, the emergency has already moved beyond a single cluster.
The next decisive evidence will come from toxicology and forensic findings capable of establishing what people consumed, how it reached them and whether the deaths now being counted belong to one chain of exposure.