Ondo toxic-drink crisis: NAFDAC detects high methanol as official death counts differ
Nigeria’s food and drug regulator says laboratory analysis has detected high concentrations of methanol in samples of locally prepared alcoholic and herbal drinks investigated after dozens of deaths in Ondo State.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said 182 cases and 48 deaths had been recorded as of September 17.
Ondo State health authorities separately reported 170 affected people and 49 deaths. The two official counts have not yet been reconciled.
The outbreak has affected communities in Odigbo Local Government Area, with cases also reported in neighbouring Irele LGA.
Laboratory tests find high methanol
NAFDAC said chemical screening of collected samples detected high concentrations of methanol.
The agency also reported that 11 of 15 samples tested positive for Cannabis indica. Further confirmatory testing is continuing to quantify methanol levels and identify any other possible toxic substances.
The laboratory findings establish the presence of potentially dangerous substances in the samples tested. They should not be presented as a completed medical determination of the cause of every individual death while toxicological and other investigations remain underway.
NAFDAC said that among the 182 recorded cases, 90 patients had been admitted and discharged, 31 treated as outpatients and six remained hospitalised. It also reported five cases of total blindness and two of partial blindness.
Government reviews regulation
The Ondo State Government says it has begun reviewing the regulatory framework governing the preparation, production, distribution, sale and consumption of locally prepared herbal and alcoholic products.
State Attorney-General Olukayode Ajulo also said he had requested the constitution of a Coroner’s Court to investigate the deaths and examine their immediate and underlying causes based on evidence.
The regulatory review expands the accountability question beyond the immediate outbreak to how locally prepared products are produced, monitored and sold.
Fifteen arrests reported
NAFDAC says 15 people have been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of beverages under investigation.
An arrest does not establish guilt. No arrested person should be described as responsible for the deaths unless evidence and subsequent legal proceedings establish that responsibility.
Police had earlier arrested a suspect over alleged production of substances under investigation and said recovered material was being subjected to forensic examination.
Precautionary restrictions remain
Ondo authorities have restricted the sale and distribution of unverified alcoholic and related substances while investigations continue and have warned residents against consuming products whose source or regulatory status cannot be established.
What remains unresolved
Three central questions remain.
First, authorities have yet to reconcile the official casualty figures: NAFDAC reports 48 deaths from 182 cases, while Ondo health authorities reported 49 deaths among 170 affected people.
Second, investigators must establish whether all recorded cases arose from the same production or distribution chain.
Third, further medical, toxicological and legal work is needed to determine individual causes of death and whether criminal or regulatory responsibility can be established.
For affected communities, the consequences are already substantial: deaths, hospitalisation and reported permanent visual injury.
The accountability question is now broader: how did dangerous unverified products reach consumers, what safeguards failed or were bypassed, and what will regulators change to prevent another outbreak?
