What started as cheap fun in quiet Ondo communities has turned into a full-blown horror. The death toll from the toxic local gin and herbal cocktail known as ‘Monkey Tail’ has soared to 49, with over 170 others hospitalized and battling for their lives.
The grim update, confirmed Wednesday night by the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, marks a deadly jump from the 38 deaths initially recorded in Odigbo Local Government Area. The killer drink has now spread its tentacles to Irele LGA, where eight fresh deaths have been confirmed.
A Poison That Keeps Spreading
Panic is now gripping the state as health authorities scramble to contain what is fast becoming an epidemic. Ajaka revealed that surveillance and emergency response teams have been deployed to Irele and surrounding communities to trace the source of the poison.
“So, all the people that have been affected altogether now is about 170, those that have been admitted and those that have died,” Ajaka said.
The government is yet to confirm if the lethal batches came from a single distiller or multiple sources. But what is clear is that the drink is laced with suspected methanol – a substance that blinds and kills within hours.
The outbreak has already been escalated to the national level, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and other state health commissioners now involved. NAFDAC, NDLEA, DSS, Police and NSCDC have all joined the manhunt for the producers.
Prayers, Fear and Spiritual Cleansing
In Araromi-Obu, Odigbo and other affected towns like New Town, Odole, Orita Odigbo and Oniparaga, fear has forced residents to seek both medical and spiritual help.
In Araromi-Obu, Pastor Segun Ajiboye led a tearful prayer session, pleading: “We are asking God to intervene in our community and put an end to all these deaths.”
The traditional ruler of Odigbo Kingdom, Oba Rufus Akinrimade, said the palace has commenced spiritual cleansing but warned youths against carelessness.
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“Yes, we are embarking on spiritual cleansing and prayers, but I think mainly it is caused by carelessness. We don’t know the source,” the monarch lamented, urging young people to shun drinks whose contents they cannot verify.
Government Strikes Back
The state government has banned all locally brewed gin and herbal alcoholic drinks in Odigbo and arrested 15 persons for flouting the order.
Chief among them is Oloruntoba Babatunde, alias “Meko,” alleged to be a major producer of the toxic brew. Police spokesperson Jimoh Abayomi said Meko is assisting with investigations while forensic tests continue on the victims.
Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, clarified on Channels TV that the killer was not a branded commercial drink but a locally distilled gin manufactured in the bushes around Odigbo.
As surveillance continues, one warning echoes across Ondo: that bottle of Monkey Tail may be your last.
