Twenty-four people have reportedly died while several others have been hospitalised following suspected food poisoning in Araromi Obu and Odigbo communities in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Eight deaths were reported in Araromi Obu and 16 in Odigbo town after the incident, which occurred last weekend and has triggered protests and concern across the affected communities.
Youths from Araromi Obu took to the streets and marched to the palace of the traditional ruler, Oba Rufus Akinrinmade, demanding urgent action to prevent further deaths.
The fatalities have been linked by residents to the consumption of locally produced alcoholic and herbal drinks, although authorities said investigations and laboratory tests were still underway to determine the actual cause.
The Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Ministry of Health, Dr Ayodele Adiji, said preliminary findings pointed to a possible connection with locally brewed alcoholic beverages, including herbal and ethanol-based drinks.
He said samples had been collected for laboratory analysis to establish whether the substances were responsible for the deaths.
The Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Taiwo Adegoroye, subsequently imposed a one-month ban on the sale and consumption of locally brewed herbal drinks in the area as a precautionary measure.
Adegoroye said a preliminary verbal autopsy conducted by the council’s health team also suggested a possible link between the deaths and the substances consumed.
He warned that anyone found selling or distributing the banned drinks during the restriction period would be arrested and prosecuted.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, said the government was investigating the incident and would provide further information after completing its assessment of the affected communities.
Meanwhile, the police said they had commenced a comprehensive investigation in collaboration with the state government and health authorities.
The police spokesperson, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said personnel from the command’s Police Medical Services were working with officials of the Ministry of Health and Odigbo council to gather evidence, while medical and toxicological examinations were being conducted.
Abayomi cautioned residents against attributing the deaths to any particular substance or spreading unverified information before the investigation and laboratory analyses were concluded.
He said the investigation would establish the actual number of casualties and precise cause of the deaths, adding that anyone found responsible would face appropriate action.
Health authorities have also advised residents to avoid consuming unregulated or suspicious alcoholic and herbal preparations pending the outcome of the investigation.
