Many residents are seeking cover after not less than 24 persons have reportedly lost their lives to herb drinks consumption
The deaths have been confirmed by the Ondo State Government leaving Odigbo Local Government Area of the state in anxiety.
Two of its communities – Araromi Obu and Odigbo town – are the epicentre of the tragic deaths which occurred on Saturday.
A source in the area said the deceased consumed the substance on Saturday at different locations but later became unconscious, leading to their deaths, while some others who also consumed the substance were rushed to the hospital.
The source said, “They (the deceased) drank the herbal substance and started dying, eight people died in Araromi Obu while 16 lost their lives in Odigbo town but we are yet to confirm if it is what they drank that killed them but we are sure that the people died after drinking the herbal drinks.
“Some of the people died in their sleep while some died when they got home and many are still in the hospital as I am talking to you.”
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with Punch, Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Mr Taiwo Adegoroye, said the deceased consumed the substance before the incident.
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He added that they were waiting for a medical team to carry out autopsies to determine the actual cause of the deaths.
“We can confirm the death of 24 people, eight in Araromi Obu and 16 in Odigbo town and many are still on admission at hospitals”, Adegoroye said.
“But we are yet to ascertain the cause of the death 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”, he added.
The chairman also said he had placed a ban on the sale and consumption of locally brewed alcoholic drinks in the area as a precautionary measure.
According to him, a preliminary verbal autopsy conducted by the local government health team indicated a possible link between the reported deaths and the consumption of the substances.
In the same vein, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, also confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, saying investigations were underway to establish the actual cause of the deaths.
Ajaka did not immediately disclose the specific substance suspected to have caused the deaths through herbal drinks consumption, 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.”
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