The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed 48 deaths and 182 cases of severe illness following the reported consumption of locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in parts of Ondo State.
The agency, in a statement dated on Friday and signed by its Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Mojisola Adeyeye, a professor, said the affected communities are mainly in Odigbo Local Government Area, including New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga.
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According to the agency, Odigbo town and Araromi-Obu recorded the highest impact, while cases have also been reported in Irele Local Government Area.
It stated that the figures, recorded as of 17 September, remain subject to verification as surveillance and investigations continue.
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Given further breakdown, the agency noted that among 182 recorded cases confirmed, 90 people were admitted to hospitals and subsequently discharged while 31 were treated as outpatients and six remained hospitalised.
“As of 17th September 2026, a total of 182 cases have been recorded, with 48 deaths confirmed,” the agency stated.
Also, five affected persons had been rendered totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.
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The agency’s preliminary findings found that those affected reportedly developed symptoms including headaches, generalised weakness and body pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.
NAFDAC’s examination on the substance
NAFDAC’s preliminary laboratory findings have raised fresh concerns over what was contained in the drinks consumed by the victims.
The agency said it subjected 15 unlabelled samples of the herbal concoction to laboratory examination which includes toxicity testing, and chemical analysis.
However, its preliminary laboratory investigation revealed that more than 73 per cent of the collected samples tested positive for cannabis indica, and gas chromatography on the samples confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol, a highly toxic substance capable of causing blindness, organ failure and death.
“Preliminary findings are gravely concerning: 11 of the 15 samples tested positive for cannabis indica, and gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol,” NAFDAC said.
The agency added that the result of acute oral toxicity tests conducted on the samples recorded approximately 50 per cent mortality among laboratory mice in six of the 15 samples analysed. It stated that the finding indicated “significant toxic potential” in the samples.
NAFDAC, however, cautioned that its laboratory findings remain preliminary, saying further confirmatory analyses are being conducted to establish the precise concentration of methanol and identify other potentially toxic substances in the concoctions.
The agency said the combination of the laboratory findings and the deaths and severe illnesses recorded among consumers warranted urgent regulatory and public health action.
As part of its response to the issue, the agency said 15 suspects had been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the implicated alcoholic and herbal beverages.
“Surveillance, case management, and risk-control measures are actively ongoing across the affected communities, in coordination with relevant public health authorities,” the statement said.
The agency warned members of the public against consuming unlicensed, unregistered and locally prepared alcoholic or herbal concoctions whose contents are unknown.
“NAFDAC strongly warns the public against the purchase or consumption of unlicensed, unregistered, and locally prepared alcoholic or herbal concoctions of unknown composition,” the agency said.
Nigeria faces serious menace from unregulated herbal concoctions, often hawked on the streets and market places and promoted on social media. Many of these conctions have been linked to serious health risks including breathing problems, kidney and liver stress, and heavy metal poisoning.
Weak regulation, aggressive marketing, and widespread self-medication are fueling their proliferation.
In June 2023, an investigative report jointly published by PREMIUM TIMES and Dubawa, revealed through an extensive independent laboratory analysis that continuous consumption of a concoction known as “Sacra Herbs” or “Baba Aisha Herbal Medicine” posed a massive safety risk.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC orders recall, destruction of alcohol in sachets, PET bottles
It established that the concoction, popular in Abuja and some northern states, contained ttoxic components that could cause acute kidney, liver, and lung injuries, as well as cancer.
The investigation revealed that the herbal medicine was being manufactured inside a residential facility under highly unhygienic conditions, completely violating Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
The authorities initially clamped down on the producer, Salisu Sani, who called himself “Dr. Baba Aisha”, but no decisive enforcement action that could serve as deterence is known to have been carried out.
While the product carried NAFDAC registration numbers, the investigation proved that the numbers were either invalid or long-expired (having expired over three years prior).
The report also revealed failure of NAFDAC and health regulatory bodies to conduct proper due diligence and for allowing a toxic, unregistered product to be heavily marketed and sold to millions of citizens.
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