Overview
- Local health authorities report at least 49 deaths and about 182 people affected after guests drank a locally produced gin called “Monkey Tail” at traditional gatherings in Odigbo and Irele.
- Victims have shown rapid, severe symptoms including vision loss, kidney failure, breathing problems, headaches and altered consciousness, and about 100 people are receiving hospital treatment.
- Police have arrested roughly 15 people and say one person who produced a suspected methanol-tainted drink is assisting investigators while forensic tests have not yet confirmed the toxin.
- Public officials and NAFDAC officials point to the dangers of unregulated local alcohol production, noting that cheap, informal brews are widely consumed in rural areas and small-container sales are under a national ban.
- Officials warn the incident could increase enforcement and public health checks, and they advise people to avoid unlabelled local alcohol while authorities complete lab analyses and prosecutions.