Community launches manhunt for killer gin producer

dimeji akinloye

June 7, 2015 2:52 PM

The local gin, popularly called ‘ogogoro’ has claimed no fewer than 38 lives, according to reports.

Local gin

A manhunt has been launched by the people of Woji Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State for the man who allegedly brought a killer gin to their town and presented it to a group of persons last Sunday at a relaxation centre, where dog meat is sold.

The Community Development Committee Chairman of Woji, Dr. Brain Ogbonda, said they are working round the clock to identify the man that brought in the deadly drink.

He said, “We are still trying to identify the man said to be from Ogun State who brought the drink. Nobody has seen the man, we are still investigating. As the CDC chairman, I was instructed by the community to follow up the issue.

“In the course of our investigation, I was told three different stories, firstly that somebody from Ogun State came and said that that he was now a king and the people there crowned him a chief and that they poured libation that Sunday. On Monday, people began to die.

“Again, we were told that a man who came from another state brought in the gin claiming he had been made a chief in his hometown. Everybody in the inn rejoiced with him and drank the gin and ate dog meat, but that the man himself did not drink.

“Another story was that they used the gin in cooking the dog meat. But this sounds unbelievable.”

While calling on government to help them unravel the truth, he added that some aggrieved youths have razed the inn where the gin was presented to those who drank it.

However, State’s Director of Public Health in Ministry of Health, Nnanna Oyekwere, stressed that preliminary investigation shows that the deaths recorded were caused by locally made gin contrary to speculations that victims died after consuming dog.

“Initially, they said the people ate dog meat, but further investigations had shown that somebody sold some local drink to them. It is those who took the drink that are having issues and not those who ate the dog meat.

“Our health team in conjunction with that of the local government area is already there at Woji going from house to house of those that died to get more information,” Oyekwere said.

dimeji akinloye