A 32-year-old man, Shola Adebayo, has been left with severely impaired vision after drinking two shots of a locally produced alcoholic beverage popularly called “Monkey Tail” in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Adebayo said he drank the substance with a friend on Friday and returned home without noticing anything unusual, but woke up the following day struggling to see, prompting his sister to rush him to hospital for treatment.
The incident occurred amid a suspected poisoning outbreak in Odigbo, with Odigbo town, Newtown, Orita and Araromi-Obu among the communities affected, as more than 30 deaths and over 50 hospital admissions were reported, although authorities said the figures were still being verified.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Adebayo said he had consumed the locally made alcoholic drink on previous occasions without suffering any health complications.
“I took Monkey Tail on Friday with my friend. I took two shots and went home. On Saturday, I discovered that I could not see well. I called my sister, and she took me to the hospital,” he said.
The survivor said treatment had brought some improvement to his condition but expressed uncertainty over whether his sight would return completely.
“I am improving, but I am praying to regain my sight,” Adebayo said.
He explained that the person who supplied the drink told him it was bought in Ore, adding that five people had consumed the product before they went their separate ways.
The experience, according to Adebayo, had completely changed his attitude towards alcohol, as he vowed to abstain from alcoholic beverages if he recovered fully.
“If God saves me, I swear I will never take any drinks again, including beer. God should please save me,” he pleaded.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Government has stopped the burial of victims of the suspected poisoning as authorities begin autopsies to determine what caused the sudden deaths.
The Chairman of Odigbo Local Government Area, Taiwo Adegoroye, said families of the deceased had been instructed to keep the bodies until the completion of the medical examinations, adding that three corpses had been taken to the General Hospital, Araromi-Obu, for autopsy.
Adegoroye disclosed that the council had also approached the court for a coroner’s inquest into the deaths, while investigators continued efforts to unravel what triggered the fatalities.
He said he alerted Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Saturday after receiving reports of unusual deaths in the affected communities, leading to the deployment of a medical team to the area the following day.
According to him, the team visited the affected communities and health facilities, speaking with residents and medical personnel while gathering information that could assist the investigation.
The council chairman also announced an immediate suspension of the sale of locally produced alcoholic drinks in the affected communities pending the outcome of the investigation.
He said security agencies had been instructed to enforce the directive, noting that some suspected sellers of the product had already been arrested as efforts continued to trace its source.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, who inspected health facilities in Araromi-Obu, said the government had yet to determine the definitive cause of the deaths.
Ajaka explained that preliminary investigations had not pointed to viral or bacterial infections, while information gathered from some victims suggested that they may have consumed alcohol mixed with an unidentified substance before falling ill.
He cautioned, however, that the suspected substance had not been scientifically established as the cause of the deaths.
The commissioner said samples of the suspected substance had been collected for laboratory analysis, while blood and urine samples were also being obtained from survivors for toxicological tests.
He added that post-mortem examinations would provide further evidence in determining the cause of the deaths, stressing that the number of fatalities had yet to be conclusively established.
The Ondo State Police Command also said it had launched an investigation into the reported deaths, with the Police Medical Services working alongside officials of the Ministry of Health and the Odigbo Local Government health authorities.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said investigators were collecting evidence and relevant information as part of efforts to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and identify the source of the suspected toxic drink.
