Chidiebube Okeoma and Gibson AchonuNo fewer than five persons have been confirmed dead from methanol poisoning in a local gin sold by one Uwadiegu Eze, a native of Umunakara community, in the Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State. On getting information of the deaths, the Imo State Ministry of Health sent a team headed by the Director of Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Okeji A., to the community. Upon sighting the ambulance of the state Ministry of Health, many youths, believed to be from Umunakara community and other adjoining villages who reportedly drank the local gin, queued up in their numbers, waiting to be taken to Owerri, the Imo State capital. Okeji lamented that despite the several episodes of methanol poisoning arising from local gin consumption in various parts of the country, people still patronised distillers who used methanol to boost production of the gin in order to increase their profits. (Male, 45); Friday Osuji (Male, 70); Ifeanyi Njoku (Male, 31), Mrs. Adanna Iheanacho (Female, 60) and one Benjamin Okoroafor.

Source: Punch November 20, 2017 00:00 UTC