ABUJA, Nigeria — At least 48 people have died and about 100 others remain under treatment in southern Nigeria after drinking a locally brewed alcoholic concoction suspected to contain methanol, health officials said Thursday.
Ondo state Health Commissioner Banji Ajaka said authorities recorded 182 people who may have consumed the drink in the Odigbo and Irele local government areas. Many of those affected remain in hospitals, he said.
Ajaka said the suspected methanol poisoning can cause severe damage to the kidneys, eyes and brain.
“This thing happened rapidly. Once they consume, depending on the quantity, the kidneys will pack up, the eyes will go, the brain will be damaged,” Ajaka told The Associated Press.
One victim, 32-year-old Sola Adebayo, told TVC News that he lost his eyesight after drinking the concoction.
“I took like two shots and I went out on Friday. On Saturday, I noticed that I could not see,” Adebayo said from a hospital bed.
Police have arrested 15 people in connection with the incident, Ondo state police spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh said.
Jimoh said authorities arrested one person who allegedly participated in producing substances suspected to contain methanol. Police are questioning the person as they investigate the deaths.
Residents told the AP that a popular herbal alcoholic drink called “Monkey Tail” may have contained or been mixed with methanol.
A trader who sells the drink in Odigbo told the AP that two versions of Monkey Tail circulate locally. The trader, who asked not to be identified because of concerns about arrest, described one version as safe and another as unsafe.
Local media reported the first death nearly two weeks ago.
Locally produced alcohol remains common in Nigeria, particularly in rural communities where people can buy it at lower prices and where authorities face challenges regulating production.
Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is also enforcing a nationwide ban on alcohol sold in sachets and small plastic containers, citing concerns about easy access among children and young people.
Authorities continue to investigate the source of the suspected methanol contamination.