What was meant to be a cheap high or a healing herbal mix has turned into a full-blown public health nightmare in Ondo State. 48 people dead. Seven blinded. And the culprit? A toxic cocktail of methanol and cannabis lurking in bottles sold with no label, no licence, and no safety checks.

As reported by cbinews.tv, this is no longer just a local scare, it's one of Nigeria's deadliest mass poisoning incidents in recent years.

According to an update issued by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, and reported by cbinews.tv, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has confirmed the cause.

Lab tests on 15 unlabelled samples of the locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions found two terrifying things:

High concentrations of methanol, confirmed by gas chromatography

Cannabis indica, found in 11 of the 15 samples

In plain terms, the drinks were poison.

As of 19 September 2026, NAFDAC puts the numbers at:

48 deaths

182 cases of illness

7 people blinded — 5 totally blind, 2 partially blind

90 people admitted and discharged, 31 treated as outpatients, and 6 still hospitalised

The worst-hit communities are New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga, with Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu bearing the brunt. The agency says cases have now spread beyond Odigbo into neighbouring Irele Local Government Area.

Symptoms have been brutal and fast-moving: severe headache, generalised body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing, and altered consciousness. Some victims deteriorated within hours.

NAFDAC said its acute oral toxicity test was chilling, about 50% of laboratory mice died after ingesting just six of the samples.

15 people have now been arrested in connection with the production, sale and distribution.

Behind those numbers are families. Imagine going to buy a small sachet of “herbal mixture” for body pain or a local gin after work, something sold openly in markets and motor parks across South-West Nigeria, and ending up in a hospital bed, unable to see your children again.

Most of the victims, community sources told cbinews.tv, were young men, artisans, and okada riders, people looking for an affordable lift. That’s the tragedy. These unregulated drinks thrive because they are cheap, potent, and promise everything from “manpower” to malaria cure.

This is not new in Nigeria, and that’s what makes it so worrying.

NAFDAC says confirmatory tests to quantify exactly how much methanol was in each sample are still ongoing, alongside surveillance and risk-control measures with state health authorities.

But the immediate advice from the agency, as highlighted by cbinews.tv, is blunt:

“NAFDAC strongly warns the public against the purchase or consumption of unlicensed, unregistered, and locally prepared alcoholic or herbal concoctions of unknown composition.”

If you or someone you know experiences sudden visual disturbances, severe headache, breathing difficulty or confusion after taking any local gin, bitters or herbal mix, get to a hospital immediately. Do not wait. Do not self-medicate.

Prof Adeyeye has commiserated with bereaved families and assured Nigerians that “every necessary regulatory action is being taken.”

For now, the clampdown in Odigbo and Irele is ongoing, but until the supply chain of unregulated brews is tackled from source to street stall, experts warn this won’t be the last outbreak.

Source: Cbinews.tv

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