The death toll from a suspected toxic drink crisis in Ondo State has risen to 49, with about 170 people affected, according to the state government.

Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, said the health emergency, initially concentrated in communities in Odigbo Local Government Area, had extended to Irele LGA, where eight deaths were reported as of Tuesday night.

Ajaka said the figure of about 170 covers those who had been admitted for treatment as well as those who died, meaning it should not be read as 170 additional patients on top of the 49 deaths.

The latest figure represents a sharp increase from earlier official reports. Ondo authorities initially confirmed 24 deaths in Araromi-Obu and Odigbo before the toll rose to 27 and subsequently 29.

Ajaka said health teams had been deployed rapidly to communities where suspected cases were reported, with surveillance and emergency response intensified to prevent further deaths and identify additional affected residents.

He said the state was working with agencies including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Department of State Services and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as investigations continued.

The commissioner had earlier linked the original cluster in Odigbo to locally brewed alcoholic and herbal mixtures reportedly consumed at gatherings in communities including New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga.

He urged residents to avoid unregulated drinks and substances whose ingredients or production conditions could not be verified.

Police have also opened a criminal investigation into the deaths.

The Ondo State Police Command said it arrested Oloruntoba Babatunde, also known as Meko, over suspected involvement in producing a substance being investigated in connection with the incident.

Another 14 people were arrested for allegedly violating a local ban on the sale of herbal products, according to the command.

Police said substances suspected to contain methanol were recovered and sent for forensic examination, while Babatunde was assisting investigators. The command also said medical and forensic procedures were being carried out as part of the investigation.

The precise toxic agent, however, has not yet been publicly established by completed forensic testing.

While Ajaka was reported as attributing the health crisis to consumption of ethanol, police said the substance recovered in their investigation was suspected to contain methanol. Verita Post is therefore not treating either substance as the conclusively established cause pending laboratory findings.

Methanol poisoning is recognised in Nigeria’s national public-health emergency framework as a potentially serious health hazard, but the presence of methanol in the Ondo incident remains subject to the ongoing forensic investigation.

Earlier reports showed the crisis initially affected mainly residents of Odigbo communities, with the state saying last week that 95 per cent of those affected at that stage were males aged between 16 and 55.

Authorities say medical surveillance remains active as officials monitor affected communities and investigate the production, distribution and consumption of the suspected drinks.