Canada warns its citizens against buying alcohol in Nigeria after Ondo methanol outbreak kills 48

• Canada has updated its Nigeria travel advisory to warn travellers about unregulated and adulterated alcohol containing methanol.

• Nigerian authorities say 48 people died and about 182 were treated after consuming a locally brewed alcoholic drink in Ondo State.

• Fifteen people have been arrested as authorities investigate the source of the methanol contamination.

Canada has warned its citizens in Nigeria to be cautious when buying alcohol, after a methanol poisoning outbreak in Ondo State left dozens dead. The warning was added to Canada's official travel advisory for Nigeria on 21 September. 

It states that casualties have occurred due to the consumption of unregulated and adulterated alcohol containing high levels of methanol, and advises travellers to buy alcohol only from reputable establishments and to seek medical help if they begin to feel unwell. The notice did not give a specific casualty figure.

Nigerian authorities said last week that 48 people had died and around 182 others had been treated after consuming a locally brewed alcoholic drink believed to contain methanol, a toxic substance that can cause organ failure and respiratory failure. The outbreak was concentrated in Odigbo Local Government Area, with additional cases reported in Irele.

Ondo State's commissioner for health, Banji Ajaka, told the Associated Press the effects could set in quickly, with methanol capable of damaging the kidneys, eyes and brain depending on the quantity consumed.

Locals have linked the deaths to a locally made herbal alcoholic concoction known as "Monkey Tail," though authorities say the exact source of the methanol is still under investigation. Nigeria's food and drug regulator, NAFDAC, said gas chromatography testing on unlabelled samples confirmed high methanol concentrations and that several samples also tested positive for cannabis indica.

Fifteen people have been arrested in connection with the production, sale and distribution of the implicated drinks, according to Ondo State police. NAFDAC has also enforced a nationwide ban on alcohol sold in sachets and small plastic containers, and Ondo State says it is reviewing the regulatory framework governing locally made herbal and alcoholic products.

Methanol, a colourless alcohol also used in industrial solvents, paint and antifreeze, is occasionally used as a cheaper substitute for ethanol in illicitly produced drinks, or can appear as a byproduct of poorly distilled homebrew. Poisonings linked to it have occurred in other countries, including cases involving travellers at unregulated bars.

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