Ondo State Police Command has arrested a suspect allegedly involved in the production of substances suspected to contain methanol following the deaths of 29 residents in Araromi-Obu and other communities in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
Police described the death toll in a Sunday statement as about 30, while the Ondo State Government had officially confirmed 29 deaths as of Friday.
The police figure therefore represents an approximate description of the toll rather than a separate confirmed death count.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the suspect was assisting investigators, while substances suspected to contain methanol had been recovered and subjected to further investigation and forensic examination.
The tests are expected to establish the exact composition of the substances and determine whether they are connected to the reported deaths.
Jimoh also said the bodies of the deceased were undergoing medical and forensic procedures, with the findings expected to provide further evidence on the actual cause of death.
Meanwhile, operatives of the command’s Criminal Investigation Department have arrested 14 other suspects, comprising alleged sellers and consumers of the drinks and concoctions at different locations in the affected communities.
The arrests followed reports of sudden deaths among residents who allegedly consumed contaminated alcoholic beverages and locally prepared drinks.
Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Banji Awolowo-Ajaka, said on Friday that 60 cases had been recorded in Araromi-Obu and other affected communities.
Of the 60 cases, he said, 29 people had died, three were receiving treatment in hospitals and 27 others remained under medical observation.
Awolowo-Ajaka said about 95 per cent of those affected were males aged between 16 and 55.
Cases were recorded primarily in Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu, Newtown, Odole, Okele and Oniparaga communities.
According to the commissioner, victims presented symptoms including headache, body pain, general weakness, visual disturbance, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness.
Some patients deteriorated rapidly and died within a few hours, he added.
Following the incident, Commissioner of Police Felix Ohagwu directed sustained enforcement against the production, distribution and sale of unapproved, adulterated or otherwise dangerous alcoholic substances across Ondo State.
Police have, however, not yet conclusively established that methanol poisoning caused the deaths.
The forensic examination of the recovered substances, together with medical and forensic procedures on the deceased, is expected to determine the precise cause of death and whether the suspected substances were responsible.
