Canada Issues Alcohol Warning for Citizens in Nigeria After Ondo Poisoning Deaths

Canadians in Nigeria are being advised by their government to be careful about drinking alcohol after reports from Ondo State of deaths and hospital admissions tied to beverages suspected of methanol contamination. In a notice released Tuesday, Canadian officials told citizens to buy alcohol only from trustworthy vendors and to seek medical help if they become ill after drinking. The notice did not give a casualty count. Nigerian health authorities, however, said last week that 48 people had died and roughly 180 others were receiving treatment in Ondo State after consuming a locally brewed alcoholic drink suspected of containing methanol. Methanol is extremely toxic and can cause multiple organ failure, difficulty breathing, blindness and brain damage. One survivor, 32-year-old Sola Adebayo, told TVC News from his hospital bed that he drank about two shots before losing his sight the next day. Banji Ajaka, the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, said effects can appear rapidly, with the substance potentially causing kidney failure, harming the eyes and damaging the brain after consumption. Police said 15 people had been arrested over the suspected toxic drink, while locals reportedly believed that a popular herbal alcoholic beverage known as Monkey Tail had been mixed with methanol. According to the report, homemade alcohol is widespread in certain rural communities in Nigeria, where it is less expensive and subject to fewer rules. NAFDAC has likewise put in place a countrywide prohibition on alcohol packaged in sachets and small plastic containers.