Ondo Families Mourn as Police Arrest Suspected Methanol Producer After Youth De@ths

For families in Araromi-Obu, a quiet community in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, the past few weeks have brought grief that no household was prepared for.

Young people who left home to socialize never made it back, and others returned gravely ill, as a wave of mysterious de@ths swept through the area, allegedly linked to alc%holic drinks and herbal concoctions.

The Ondo State Government had earlier confirmed that the de@th toll had risen to 29, with 60 cases recorded, including three people receiving treatment and 27 others still under medical observation.

Behind those numbers are parents, siblings, and relatives now left to piece together what happened to their loved ones.

In response, the Ondo State Police Command has arrested a suspected producer of meth@nol, identified as Oloruntoba Babatunde, popularly known as ‘Meko.’

He was picked up after reports linked the de@ths to substances he allegedly produced.

Police recovered materials suspected to contain meth@nol from him and have sent them for forensic examination to determine their composition and possible connection to the de@ths.

Police spokesperson DSP Abayomi Jimoh said the situation had been contained through security, medical and investigative interventions.

He said Babatunde is suspected of producing substances containing meth@nol and is currently assisting police with investigations.

For many families still keeping vigil at hospital bedsides, the Command noted that several youths had been taken to the Odigbo Local Government medical facility for assessment, testing and treatment, while post-mortem examinations and forensic tests continue in an effort to establish the actual cause of the de@ths.

In a wider crackdown, 14 suspected sellers and consumers of the drinks and concoctions were arrested in Ore and Odigbo during an enforcement operation carried out by the State Criminal Investigation Department, Akure.

The case has since been transferred to the State CID for further investigation.

Police said detectives are now examining the source, production, composition, distribution and consumption of the substances, and their possible link to the de@ths.

All suspects remain in custody and will be charged to court once investigations are concluded.

As families continue to grapple with loss and uncertainty, police have urged residents to avoid unlabelled or suspicious alc%holic drinks and herbal concoctions whose contents and safety cannot be verified.