The Ondo state police command says it has arrested a suspected producer of harmful alcoholic substances following the deaths of 30 people in Araromi-Obu and Odigbo communities in Odigbo LGA of the state.
The suspect, identified as Oloruntoba Babatunde, also known as “Meko”, was arrested after several youths reportedly became critically ill and died following the consumption of suspected alcoholic concoctions.
The police said substances suspected to be methanol were recovered from Babatunde and have been subjected to forensic examination to determine their composition and whether they are linked to the reported deaths.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Abayomi Jimoh, the state police public relations officer, said the command had intensified security and investigative operations in the affected communities.
The command said health officials had also stepped up medical interventions, with a significant number of youths from Araromi-Obu taken to the Odigbo local government medical facility for assessment, testing and treatment.
It also said the bodies of those who died were undergoing medical and forensic procedures, with the outcome of post-mortem examinations expected to help establish the actual cause of the deaths.
The command said it had arrested 14 other persons during enforcement operations in Ore and Odigbo over the production, sale and consumption of dangerous alcoholic drinks and concoctions.
The suspects, comprising sellers and consumers, were arrested at different locations following reports of sudden and unexplained deaths allegedly associated with the consumption of the substances.
According to the police, the operation was carried out on the directive of Felix Ohagwu, the state commissioner of police, with officers of the state criminal investigation department (CID), Akure, deployed to enforce relevant provisions of the liquor act.
The command said the case had been transferred to the state CID for “discreet and comprehensive investigation”.
It added that a team of detectives visited Araromi-Obu on September 12 to gather additional evidence and advance the investigation.
Investigators, the police said, were examining “every relevant lead”, including the source, production, composition, distribution and consumption of the suspected substances and their possible connection with the reported deaths.
The police urged residents to avoid locally produced, unlabelled or suspicious alcoholic drinks and herbal concoctions whose contents, source or safety could not be verified.
The Ondo state government on Saturday banned the sale and distribution of unverified alcoholic drinks and other substances following the reported deaths.
The police urged residents to report the production, sale or circulation of suspected harmful substances to the nearest police station.
