Seventy-one persons have died and 11 persons in critical condition after drinking a deadly locally brewed gin known as Ogogoro in five local government areas in Rivers State.
The local councils hit by this scourge were Ahoada West, Bonny, Gokana, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor.
The state House of Assembly, disclosed yesterday that 80 cases were reported in five local councils in the state, with 70 deaths.
The revelation was made by Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee of the House of Assembly, Michael Chinda, after the lawmakers’ interface with the Ministry of Health, on the response taken by the latter in tackling the problem.
Chinda, while presenting the committee’s report said, contrary to reports that excessive ethanol was responsible for the deaths caused by local gin consumption in the state, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), had stated that methanol caused the deaths.
The lawmaker told the House that it was revealed in the course of the committee’s investigation, that greedy dealers decided to use methanol to produce the local gin due to shortage in supply of ethanol.
According to him: “The officials of the state Ministry of Health acted promptly by taking those affected to Bori General Hospital, Woji Health Centre and Bonny General Hospital and a private hospital in Abuloma. Unfortunately, all the victims in Ahoada West died before they could get help.
“Officials of the Ministry of Health took samples of the killer gin from the affected locations and sent to NAFDAC. The laboratory result of the investigation revealed excessive presence of methanol in varying quantities.
“Due to shortage of supply of ethanol used for the production of local gins, unscrupulous elements resorted to the use of methanol to bridge the supply gap,” the committee’s chairman stated.
Daily Sun gathered that one of the victims in the case of Ahoada West, had doubted that it was the Ogogoro that caused the deaths.
According to a source, after he drank the gin, the victim passed on few minutes later.
Despite the ban on sale and consumption of the gin, as well as number of deaths, a visit by the reporter to some locations like Rumuokoro, Rumuola and Rumuokwuta, showed that some people were indifferent to the ban by government.
The Ogogoro tragedy hit the state on May 31, this year.
