29 Die After Suspected Poisoned Local Gin in Ondo
For illustration
What began as illness among residents of two communities in Ondo State has turned into a devastating tragedy, with 29 people now reported dead after consuming locally brewed alcoholic drinks suspected to have been contaminated.
The deaths were recorded in Araromi-Obu and Odigbo communities in Odigbo Local Government Area, leaving families mourning and authorities scrambling to establish what caused the sudden fatalities.
The state government had initially confirmed 24 deaths, but five more victims have reportedly died, raising the toll to 29.
Several residents were said to have fallen ill after consuming substances believed to be herbal alcoholic drinks.
Concern deepened when the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, visited health facilities in Araromi-Obu to assess the situation.
Ajaka said the government had constituted an investigation team to determine the cause of the deaths.
According to him, preliminary investigations have ruled out viral and bacterial infections, while information gathered so far indicates that some victims may have consumed alcohol mixed with an unidentified substance or concoction shortly before falling ill.
The commissioner warned residents to stay away from unregulated alcoholic mixtures, stressing that the danger posed by such substances could extend beyond the affected communities.
As families await answers, the state government has also stopped the burial of victims while medical examinations are conducted.
Three bodies have been deposited at the General Hospital, Araromi-Obu, for autopsy to help determine what caused the sudden deaths.
Chairman of Odigbo Local Government Area, Mr Taiwo Adegoroye, said families of the deceased had been directed not to bury the bodies until the necessary medical examinations were completed.
Adegoroye also disclosed that the local government had approached the court to seek a coroner’s inquest into the deaths.
For the affected families, the investigation is more than a search for statistics—it is a search for answers to the sudden loss of their loved ones, as authorities race to determine what the victims consumed and why it proved fatal.
