The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed the death of 48 persons and reported 182 critically ill following the consumption of adulterated, locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions across several communities in Ondo State.
​According to an official update issued on Friday, September 18, 2026, by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, initial cases emerged in early September across the Odigbo Local Government Area (LGA), specifically in Odigbo Town, Araromi-Obu, New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, and Oniparaga, before spreading to neighboring Irele LGA.
​As surveillance and emergency health management efforts expanded up to September 17, 2026, public health authorities recorded severe clinical conditions among victims.
The Fatalities involved 48 deaths confirmed (escalated from an initial report of 31 deaths across Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu). Irreversible Damage; 5 victims suffer from total blindness, while 2 others have partial blindness.
Hospitalization & Care: 90 patients were admitted and subsequently discharged, 31 were managed as outpatients, and 6 remain in critical care.
​Victims exhibited severe symptoms including severe headaches, generalized body pain, difficulty breathing, visual disturbances, and altered consciousness, with multiple cases rapidly deteriorating into organ failure.
​Preliminary toxicological, microbiological, and chemical screenings conducted on 15 unlabelled concoction samples, locally referred to in some areas as “Monkey Tail” revealed alarming results:
Gas chromatography analysis confirmed elevated concentrations of methanol, an industrial alcohol that causes blindness, central nervous system depression, and organ failure when ingested.
11 of the 15 samples screened positive for Cannabis indica. Laboratory testing recorded a 50% mortality rate in test mice exposed to six of the sampled brews.
​Prof. Adeyeye noted that confirmatory analyses are ongoing to precisely quantify methanol concentrations and identify any additional toxic contaminants.
​Responding to the outbreak, law enforcement agencies and NAFDAC officers launched targeted enforcement operations, leading to the arrest of 15 suspects implicated in the illegal manufacture, wholesale, and retail distribution of the toxic beverages.
Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed that suspects—including primary producers suspected of adulterating drinks with methanol, are assisting in ongoing investigations.
​In a parallel statement, the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, announced an immediate executive ban on the sale, distribution, and consumption of all unverified locally brewed alcoholic mixtures and sachet spirits across the state to prevent further casualties.
