THE Ondo State Police Command has arrested a suspect in connection with the production of substances suspected to contain methanol that caused the sudden death of about 30 residents of Araromi-Obu and some other communities in Odigbo Local Council of the state.
The Command’s spokesman, Abayomi Jimoh (DSP), said in a statement late on Sunday, September 13, that the suspect was assisting Police with investigations, while substances suspected to be methanol were recovered and were being subjected to further investigation and necessary forensic examination to establish their exact composition and determine any possible link to the reported deaths.
Jimoh said the bodies of the victims were undergoing medical and forensic procedures, and the outcome was expected to provide further medical evidence regarding the actual cause of the deaths.
He disclosed that operatives of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have also arrested 14 suspects, including the alleged sellers and consumers of the drinks and concoctions at different locations in the area.
Jimoh explained that the Commissioner of Police (CP), Felix Ohagwu, had directed sustained enforcement against the production, distribution and sale of unapproved, adulterated or otherwise dangerous alcoholic substances across the state.
The state government on Friday, September 11, confirmed that the death of 29 persons from the consumption of a contaminated alcoholic beverage.
Commissioner for Health, Banji Awolowo-Ajaka, said a total of 60 cases were recorded, out of which 29 persons died, with over 30 hospitalised.
Awolowo-Ajaka explained that 95 per cent of the victims were males, aged between 16 and 55, with cases recorded primarily in Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu, Newtown, Odole, Okele and Oniparaga communities.
He explained that symptoms exhibited by the victims include headache, body pain, general body weakness, visual disturbance, difficulty breathing, and altered consciousness, which deteriorated rapidly, leading to death within a few hours.
