A wave of poisonings has left several communities in Nigeria’s southwest in mourning. According to an announcement made on Saturday, September 19, by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the toll stands at 48 dead and 182 people affected. Some outlets, Africanews among them, were already reporting 49 deaths the day before, a sign that the figure has shifted as counts were updated.
The main cluster is in the Odigbo area, around Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu, though cases have also turned up in Irele, New Town, Odole and Oniparaga. Victims reported headaches, vision problems and breathing difficulties, and some lost consciousness before deteriorating rapidly. Ninety patients were admitted and later discharged, thirty-one received outpatient care, and six were still in hospital. The poison has also left lasting damage: five people are now completely blind and two partially so.
The culprit is a strong herbal spirit known locally as « Monkey Tail. » NAFDAC tested fifteen samples and found high concentrations of methanol, a toxic solvent, along with cannabis (Cannabis indica) in eleven of them. In tests on mice, six of the samples killed half the animals exposed. The state’s Health Commissioner, Banji Ajaka, said urine analyses of patients had confirmed methanol poisoning.
Police have arrested fifteen people, including a suspected manufacturer. An investigation involving NAFDAC and the World Health Organization is under way, and its preliminary findings have not yet been made public. The agency has warned against unregistered and unregulated drinks, which are especially common in rural areas because they are cheap.
Tragedies of this kind are not new to the region, where counterfeit alcohol circulates easily for lack of oversight. The number of victims could still rise, as several patients remain under treatment.