The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reported that 48 people have died after consuming suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in parts of Ondo State, with preliminary laboratory findings indicating high concentrations of toxic methanol in samples of the suspected drinks.

The agency, in an update signed by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye yesterday said a total of 182 cases had been recorded, with five victims who are now totally blind and two others partially blind.

The incident, which was initially reported in early September, affected residents of Odigbo Town, Araromi-Obu, New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo and Oniparaga in Odigbo Local Government Area. The report also listed Irele Local Government Area among the affected locations.

According to NAFDAC, the number of reported deaths initially stood at 31, comprising 20 in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu, but increased as investigations and surveillance progressed.

The agency said 90 affected persons had been admitted and subsequently discharged, while six remained hospitalised. Another 31 were treated as outpatients, while the remaining cases involved varying degrees of illness and complications.

NAFDAC said the clinical features reported among affected persons included headaches, generalised body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty in breathing and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.

The agency disclosed that 15 people had so far been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the implicated locally produced alcoholic and herbal beverages.

As part of its investigation, NAFDAC said samples of the suspected concoctions had undergone laboratory examination and toxicological studies to determine their chemical composition and identify potentially toxic substances, adulterants, contaminants or undeclared ingredients.

It said toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening was conducted on 15 unlabeled samples, while acute oral toxicity tests were performed on laboratory mice in accordance with its standard operating procedures and OECD guidelines.

The preliminary findings showed that all the samples caused critical illness in the test animals, while approximately 50 per cent mortality was recorded in six of the 15 samples analysed.

NAFDAC said the critically ill mice recovered after 24 hours of administration, but noted that there was a possibility that they could die if exposed to a second dose.

The agency further disclosed that chemical screening detected Cannabis indicated in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.

It explained that methanol was a highly toxic substance capable of causing severe health complications, including blindness, organ failure and death.

According to NAFDAC, the combination of high mortality recorded during animal testing and the confirmed presence of methanol strongly suggested that the samples posed a serious public health risk.

However, it stressed that the findings remained preliminary and required further confirmatory analyses.

The agency said additional testing was ongoing to quantify the methanol concentration and identify other possible toxic agents in the suspected drinks.

NAFDAC said surveillance, case management, investigation and risk-control measures were ongoing, while the reported figures remained subject to verification as investigations continued.

A Nigerian man and registered sex offender, Babatunde Odutola, has been sentenced to prison in the UK after exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train heading to Manchester.

Odutola, 36, who has no fixed address, was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency and violating a suspended sentence order.

The incident took place around 7 p.m. on Friday, September 11, on a train traveling through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station.

According to the British Transport Police, Odutola approached a woman on the train, looked her up and down, and became aggressive when she refused to engage with him.

He then exposed himself while sitting in a wheelchair and began masturbating while staring at the woman and telling her to “come over.”

A fellow passenger intervened and helped escort the distressed woman from the carriage. Police reports indicate that CCTV footage showed Odutola continuing to masturbate as other passengers walked through the carriage.

British Transport Police officers arrested him after the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly. He was prosecuted and jailed within 72 hours of the incident.

Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou of the British Transport Police stated that Odutola’s behavior was “terrifying” for the victim, whom he allegedly targeted while she was traveling alone.

Some of the suspected illegal miners who shared same detention facility with the 37 suspects who died in custody have recounted their experience.

Recall that at least 37 suspected illegal miners who were arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) lost their lives barely two days after they were arrested.

In an interview with Zarar Bunu TV and published by Daily Trust, some of the survivors narrated how the deceased gasped for breath as their lives gradually slipped away.

“Those who still had a vestige of life began crying out and banging hard on the door, but NSCDC personnel on duty remained unresponsive,” Dauda Shehu, one of the suspects said.

Shehu, alongside his colleagues, left Allawa village full of hope in search of greener pasture, unknown to them that death lay in wait for them.

“We exhausted every means to stay alive, including drinking our urine and calling for help, but no one came to our aid. The inmates on the left and right began falling one after another,” he continued.

According to Shehu, trouble began when community leaders in Lokoto, a small village and residential settlement located in the Bosso Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State, demanded N150,000 for each mining pit.

“We met with them at the palace. They demanded N150k for each mining pit, but we complained that diamonds were not abundant in the area, and, therefore, we could not raise the amount. A few of us paid, while some promised to pay.”

“Sixty-six of us were put in one cell. Six people are currently on admission. They did not torture us, but there was excessive heat.

“We complained that the cell was too small to accommodate all of us, but they did not listen to us. We watched our colleagues die, and even when we raised the alarm, they thought we were lying.

“We drank urine because we couldn’t access water due to heat. Some people died in the night while others died in the morning on Thursday,” he said.

Aminu Sale (not real name) said that the suspects were drenched in sweat as they struggled to survive in the overcrowded cell.

“We shared, in turns, a small window for ventilation. Many of my friends and relatives have fallen,” he said.

Sale said that he is one of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Allawa in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state, saying mining is the only source of his income.

Parents who appeared distressed after seeing the lifeless bodies of their children, called on the authorities to release the remains of their children for burial.

Hauwa Umar (not real name) said her nephew was among the victims and appealed to the authorities to release his remains for burial.

She said, “We don’t want our son in the mortuary. We need his remains. They cannot bring our son back, but they are holding his remains. This is sheer injustice.”

Ummi Halli (not real name) also appealed to the authorities to release the remains of the grandson.

She said, “Thy committed no offense. They were earning their living legitimately. His younger brother came panting to tell me about the death of his elder brother. We need his remains immediately.”

Malam Abdullahi, a security guard at A.A Rano filling station along Mai Tumbi, said he had sought bail for his son from the NSCDC for three days, but his request was declined.

He said, “I saw ambulances loaded with corpses. I took food to my son that night. I also took food to him in the morning, but found his lifeless body. I lost a breadwinner.”