The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a suspected producer of alcoholic concoctions linked to the deaths of about 30 residents in Araromi-Obu and other communities in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.

Jimoh said substances suspected to contain methanol were recovered from the suspect and had been submitted for forensic examination to determine their composition and establish whether they were connected to the reported deaths.

He added that the suspect was assisting the police with the ongoing investigation.

According to him, the bodies of the deceased were also undergoing medical and forensic examinations to determine the actual cause of death.

The police spokesman further disclosed that 14 other suspects, including alleged sellers and consumers of the drinks and concoctions, had been arrested at different locations in the affected communities.

Jimoh said the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, had ordered sustained enforcement against the production, distribution and sale of unapproved, adulterated and potentially dangerous alcoholic substances across the state.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Government had on Friday confirmed that the death toll from the suspected consumption of contaminated alcoholic beverages in Odigbo LGA had risen to 29.

The Commissioner for Health, Banji Awolowo-Ajaka, said 60 cases had so far been recorded, comprising 29 deaths, three patients receiving treatment in hospitals and 27 others under medical observation.

He said about 95 per cent of those affected were males aged between 16 and 55.

According to him, the affected communities include Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu, Newtown, Odole, Okele and Oniparaga.