Death Toll Reaches 48 in Ondo After Drinking Toxic Local Gin

 At least 48 people have died and 182 others have fallen ill in Ondo State after drinking a locally brewed alcoholic herbal drink, locally known as "Monkey Tail".

Dr. Banji Ajaka, the State Commissioner for Health, explained that roughly 100 survivors are currently in hospitals fighting for their lives. Many are suffering from severe, life-changing health issues, including sudden blindness, kidney failure, and brain damage.

Medical tests and urine samples from victims point heavily toward acute methanol poisoning. Health experts believe the drink was contaminated with industrial wood alcohol, a chemical some brewers use illegally to make cheap homemade gin stronger or to stretch their supply.

"This thing happened rapidly," Dr. Ajaka noted. "Once they consume it, depending on the quantity, the kidneys pack up, the eyes go, and the brain is damaged." While the outbreak started mainly in the Odigbo area, new cases have popped up in Irele communities like Idogun and Gbogunron.

Police have cracked down on the local supply chain, arresting 15 people linked to making and selling the lethal batch. This includes the primary suspect, Oloruntoba “Meko” Babatunde.

The state government has also formed a multi-agency task force alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), NAFDAC, security forces, and local vigilantes to hunt down the remaining dangerous brews and stop further deaths.

This tragedy has put a spotlight on the safety of unregulated local drinks, but it also highlights a wider crisis of fake products in Nigeria.

Even factory-packaged goods approved by NAFDAC are increasingly being counterfeited and sold to unsuspecting shoppers. Public frustration recently boiled over when NAFDAC’s Director-General responded to tough questions about fake products with laughter, a reaction many saw as uncaring and dismissive.

If regulators are struggling to stop dangerous counterfeits on store shelves, the risks are obviously much higher in local breweries where there are no safety checks at all. 

However, authorities have intensified awareness campaigns and sweeping local markets to mop up any remaining dangerous mixtures and prevent further loss of life. 

Art by Ekunnrin Waale.