Ondo Tragedy: Police arrest suspect over poisonous drinks that allegedly killed 29 people
Police in Ondo State, Nigeria, have arrested a suspect following the deaths of 29 people linked to the consumption of poisonous alcoholic drinks. Authorities are conducting forensic tests on the substances while enforcing stricter regulations on local liquor sales.
Why it matters
This incident underscores significant public health risks associated with unregulated alcohol production and the challenges of food and beverage safety enforcement in regional areas.
The Ondo State Police Command says it has successfully contained the situation arising from reported cases of sudden and unnatural death of some people in Araromi-Obu, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
It also confirmed the arrest of one Oloruntoba Babatunde, a.k.a. “Meko,” suspected to be involved in the production of the substances, which allegedly killed 29 people and is currently assisting the Force in the investigations.
The command’s spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed these in a statement in Akure, the state capital, on Sunday.
The incident resulted in the death of 29 persons, with several others still hospitalised.
According to Mr Jimoh, substances suspected to be methanol were also recovered and have been subjected to further investigation and necessary forensic examination to establish their exact composition and determine any possible link to the reported deaths.
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