24 Dead in Ondo After Consuming Suspected Herbal Substance, Govt Confirms

The Ondo State Government on Wednesday confirmed the deaths of 24 residents of Odigbo Local Government Area following the consumption of a suspected herbal liquid substance.

It was gathered that the victims were from two communities in the council area — Araromi Obu and Odigbo town. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, has thrown the affected communities into mourning.

A source in the area, who pleaded anonymity, said the deceased consumed the substance at different locations on Saturday and later became unconscious.

The source said, “They drank the herbal substance and started dying. Eight people died in Araromi Obu while 16 others lost their lives in Odigbo town. But we have yet to confirm if it was what they drank that killed them. We are sure that the people died after drinking the herbal drinks.

“Some of them died in their sleep while others died when they got home. Many are still in the hospital as I am talking to you.”

Confirming the incident in a telephone interview, the Chairman of Odigbo Local Government Area, Mr. Taiwo Adegoroye, said 24 people had died — eight in Araromi Obu and 16 in Odigbo town — with many others still on admission in hospitals.

“We have yet to ascertain the cause of the deaths, and we are still waiting for the team from the state Ministry of Health to carry out the test on the deceased. That is why we can’t specifically say the real cause,” Adegoroye said.

The chairman said he had banned the sale and consumption of locally brewed alcoholic drinks in the area as a precautionary measure.

He added that a preliminary verbal autopsy conducted by the local government health team indicated a possible link between the reported deaths and consumption of the substances.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, also confirmed the incident, saying investigations were underway to establish the actual cause of the deaths.

Ajaka did not disclose the specific substance suspected to have caused the deaths, but said medical and health officials would conduct further assessments in the affected communities.

“The government is taking the matter seriously, and we will provide more details after the ongoing investigation has established the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.

Meanwhile, some youths in the town staged a mini protest to the palace of the Odigbo traditional ruler to demand explanations and urgent measures to prevent further loss of life.

Addressing the youths, the monarch, Oba Rufus Akinrinmade, appealed for calm and assured them that efforts would be made to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the deaths and find a lasting solution.