•One of the arrested suspects
Ondo State Police Command has arrested a suspect alleged to be involved in the production of substances suspected to contain methanol that have caused the sudden death of about 30 residents of Araromi-Obu and some other communities in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
The Public Relations Officer of Ondo State Police Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, made this disclosure in an official statement made available to journalists yesterday evening.
Jimoh noted that the suspect is currently assisting the police with investigations, while 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.
He disclosed that the bodies of the deceased are undergoing medical and forensic procedures, noting that the outcome is expected to provide further medical evidence regarding the actual cause of the deaths.
According to him, men of the state Criminal Investigation Department(CID) have also arrested 14 suspects, comprising alleged sellers and consumers of the drinks and concoctions at different locations in the area.
The police spokesperson revealed that the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, has consequently directed sustained enforcement against the production, distribution and sale of unapproved, adulterated or otherwise dangerous alcoholic substances across the state.
The Ondo State government on Friday confirmed that the death toll from the suspected consumption of a contaminated alcoholic beverage in Araromi-Obu and other communities within the Odigbo Local Government Area had risen to 29.
The State Commissioner for Health, Banji Awolowo-Ajaka, disclosed that a total of 60 cases had been recorded.
Out of these, 29 people died, three were on admission in hospitals, and 27 others remained under medical observation.
Awolowo-Ajaka noted that 95 per cent of those affected were males aged between 16 and 55, with cases recorded primarily in the Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu, Newtown, Odole, Okele, and Oniparaga communities.
The commissioner further explained that symptoms exhibited by the victims include headache, body pain, general body weakness, visual disturbance, difficulty breathing, and altered consciousness.
He added that some patients deteriorated rapidly, leading to death within a few hours.
