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At least 48 people have died while 182 others have been affected after reportedly consuming locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in parts of Ondo State, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disclosed.
In an update signed by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on September 18, 2026, the agency said the outbreak was initially reported in early September and was concentrated in Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu.
Other affected communities include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo and Oniparaga, while cases have also been reported in Irele Local Government Area.
NAFDAC said 90 affected persons had been admitted and discharged, six remained hospitalised and 31 were treated as outpatients. Five people reportedly became totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.
The agency said victims presented symptoms including headache, weakness, body pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.
NAFDAC disclosed that 15 people had been arrested in connection with the production, sale and distribution of the suspected locally produced alcoholic and herbal beverages.
It said laboratory, toxicological, chemical and microbiological examinations were being conducted on samples collected from the affected products to determine the cause of the illnesses and deaths.
According to the agency, toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening of 15 unlabeled samples detected significant toxic potential. Acute oral toxicity tests conducted on laboratory mice recorded approximately 50 per cent mortality in six samples.
NAFDAC further said chemical screening detected Cannabis indica in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed high concentrations of methanol.
The agency warned that methanol is highly toxic and can cause severe poisoning, including blindness, organ failure and death.
NAFDAC said the findings, particularly the confirmed methanol contamination and animal-test mortality, strongly indicated that the samples posed a serious public health risk, although further confirmatory analyses were ongoing.
The agency said additional tests would determine the exact concentration of methanol and identify other potentially toxic substances in the samples.
It added that surveillance, case management, investigation and risk-control measures were continuing, stressing that the reported figures remained subject to verification as investigations progressed.
NAFDAC commiserated with families who lost loved ones and urged continued regulatory and public health measures to prevent further deaths.
