ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The death toll resulting from the consumption of a suspected poisonous alcoholic beverage outbreak in parts of Ondo State has risen to 49, while the number of affected persons has also increased to 170.

Providing an update on the situation in Akure, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, noted that the new cases were recorded in Irele Local Government Area.

He said health authorities were intensifying surveillance, case management and contact tracing to contain the outbreak and identify the source of the poisonous substance.

Ajaka added that medical teams had been deployed to the affected communities to monitor the situation, manage cases and trace the source of the suspected poisonous substance.

He said the state government was also working with security and regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant agencies.

He disclosed that the matter was discussed at a national meeting involving commissioners for health across the country and officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, where Ondo State’s rapid response in surveillance, case management and tracking was commended.

Ajaka, in an earlier briefing, had disclosed that 29 people had died in connection with the suspected poisoning in Odigbo Local Government Area, with 121 persons affected at that stage.

According to him, the deaths in Odigbo were caused by locally produced alcoholic and alcoholic-herbal substances consumed during two naming ceremonies in the affected communities.

He noted that investigations showed that an individual who was not a member of one of the families hosting a naming ceremony procured the substance and brought it to the event for guests to consume.

The affected communities previously identified in Odigbo Local Government Area include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga.

To end the fatalities, the state government has banned the production and sale of locally brewed alcoholic and alcoholic-herbal beverages in Odigbo Local Government Area as a precautionary measure.

The police have also arrested a suspect in Araromi-Obu in connection with the production and distribution of the substances, while further investigation is ongoing.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Baby Jason Anthony Weaver, just one week old, suffered at least 180 dog bites and fatal internal injuries; mother and four other relatives also face charges.

A father in Indiana, United States, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after his newborn son was killed by the family’s pet dog in a devastating attack inside their rural home.

The victim, identified as Jason Anthony Weaver, was only one week old when he was fatally attacked by Chomp, a five-year-old husky and pit bull mix.

According to details reported by the New York Post, the newborn sustained extensive injuries across his head and body, including at least 180 bite wounds.

Medical examinations reportedly revealed severe internal injuries, including brain haemorrhages, rib fractures and tears in his lungs.

The fatal incident occurred in September at the family’s home in rural Markle, Indiana.

Following the baby’s death, the father, mother and four other family members were arrested. Authorities reportedly described the home as being filled with rubbish and insects.

The dog, Chomp, was subsequently euthanised.

The circumstances surrounding the attack led prosecutors to file criminal charges against members of the family, with allegations of neglect forming part of the case against the child’s parents.

Father Accepts Plea Deal, Receives 16-Year Sentence

Jason’s father was initially charged with two counts of neglect and one count of harbouring a non-immunised dog that caused an injury.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the highest-level neglect charge in exchange for a 16-year prison sentence.

The sentence was handed down on Monday.

The case highlights the potential criminal consequences of failing to protect vulnerable children from dangerous conditions, although the precise legal findings and factual basis of the plea agreement depend on the court record.

The baby’s mother, Violet Weaver, is scheduled to appear for a change-of-plea hearing later this month.

Meanwhile, criminal proceedings remain active against the child’s grandparents, Timothy Kinsey, Rita Wickey and Michael Wickey, as well as his uncle, Tony Kinsey.

All four relatives were also charged in connection with the case.

The ongoing proceedings are expected to determine the legal status of the remaining defendants.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

A Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt has ordered the remand of three members of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, from Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State; Confidence Amadi, Chikezie Justice and Isaiah Thomas, at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.

The three men were brought before the court by the Rivers State Police Command on three charges, including conspiracy, alleged cult-related activities and threat to life.

At the hearing on Tuesday, the prosecution asked the court to remand the suspects through an ex-parte application.

The prosecution said the Magistrates’ Court lacked the power to hear the case and that the remand would allow the police to take the matter to a court with the proper jurisdiction.

Presiding Magistrate Obiangeri Onugbum-Onuoha granted the application and ordered that the three suspects remain in the correctional centre.

The case was adjourned until October 2nd, 2026.

The ADC had explained that the three were arrested during a peaceful consultation meeting organized by its House of Assembly candidate for Ikwerre Local Government Area, Jeffrey Wobodo, in Isiokpo, ahead of his campaign activities.

The State ADC Publicity Secretary, Chizy Enyi, alleged that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had been trying to restrict the political activities of opposition parties in Ikwerre Local Government Area.

The ADC, however, rejected the cultism allegations against the three men as baseless and politically motivated, claiming that the arrests were intended to intimidate opposition members.