ONDO, Nigeria — Forty-eight people have died among 182 recorded cases linked to locally prepared alcoholic and herbal drinks in Nigeria’s Ondo State, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
NAFDAC said the figures were current as of Sept. 17, 2026. The total includes the confirmed deaths, rather than representing 182 illnesses in addition to the 48 fatalities.
“As of 17th September 2026, a total of 182 cases have been recorded, with 48 deaths confirmed,” the agency said in a statement reported by Premium Times.
The Associated Press separately reported at least 48 deaths and 182 people affected, citing Ondo State Commissioner for Health Banji Ajaka. Cases were identified in the Odigbo and Irele local government areas.
Within Odigbo, NAFDAC listed New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga among the affected communities. The agency also confirmed reports of cases in neighboring Irele.
NAFDAC said 90 affected people were admitted to hospitals and later discharged, while 31 were treated as outpatients. Six people remained hospitalized at the time of its update. The agency also reported severe vision damage: five people became totally blind and two suffered partial blindness.
Preliminary tests detect methanol
The regulator examined 15 unlabelled samples as part of its investigation. Eleven tested positive for Cannabis indica, while analysis using gas chromatography detected high concentrations of methanol, according to NAFDAC.
The laboratory findings remain preliminary. NAFDAC said confirmatory testing was continuing to determine how much methanol was present and whether the samples contained other toxic substances. The initial results therefore do not yet provide a complete account of the contents of the drinks or establish how each person was exposed.
The absence of labels on the tested samples also underscores the difficulties facing investigators as they seek to trace the drinks, determine their ingredients and identify where they were prepared or distributed.
Methanol is the substance at the center of the preliminary inquiry, but the agency has not announced final laboratory conclusions. Authorities are continuing to investigate the preparation and sale of the alcoholic and herbal concoctions associated with the cases.
Fifteen people detained
Police have arrested 15 people in connection with the incident. Ondo State police spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh confirmed the total to the AP.
TheCable identified one detainee as Oloruntoba Babatunde, also known as “Meko,” whom authorities suspect of producing methanol. Fourteen other people were detained during enforcement operations connected to the investigation.
Police said they recovered substances suspected to be methanol from Babatunde and sent them for forensic examination, according to TheCable. That account is an investigative claim and does not establish that he produced the drinks or caused the deaths. The inquiry was still underway, and no final forensic finding was reported.
The arrests followed enforcement activity focused on people suspected of involvement in making or distributing the drinks. Authorities have not released a final account assigning responsibility for the outbreak.
Investigation remains open
The scale of the incident has drawn attention to the risks posed by unlabelled, locally prepared alcoholic mixtures and herbal concoctions whose ingredients and production methods may not be documented. In this case, investigators are working to connect laboratory results from collected samples with the illnesses reported across the affected communities.
Final testing will be important in determining the concentration of methanol and identifying any additional toxic agents, NAFDAC said. Until those analyses are complete, the agency’s findings should be treated as an early assessment rather than a definitive explanation of every case.
The confirmed toll nevertheless makes the incident a major public health emergency for the affected areas. Alongside the 48 deaths, the reported hospitalizations and cases of blindness show that some survivors suffered serious and potentially lasting harm.
