8 Die After Drinking Dry Gin In Portharcourt (See)

                     Tension mounts at Woji community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State as mysterious death struck about eight persons after drinking a local gin, popularly known as ogogoro.   

Agbosblog who visited the community gathered that seller of the ogogoro, Friday Dickson also known as Etiaba fled to the police station to reports himself, immediately after about seven of the local gin consumers died on Tuesday.

Some eyewitnesses who were seen mourning the death of the one of the victims that passed on this afternoon at about 12 pm, said people started dying on Monday after consumption of Local gin and Dog Meat on Sunday. They said Etiaba had been in the area for over Nine years, running an inn where he cooks only dog meat and sell Local gin in Mini-Woji Road at Woji Town.

The eyewitnesses, who said the situation has mounted tension in the community, noted that the victims go blind before passing on.  

Meanwhile, one of the consumers of the local gin, who had already gone blind and was rushed to a Church at Apamini in Woji community, narrated his ordeal. He said they are more than 30 persons that took the drink.  

Agbosblog also gathered that some of the deceased had been buried without undergoing any autopsy to confirm the real cause of their death.     

In the same vein, scores of youths suspected to be relatives of the deceased have set Etiaba's shop ablaze, including his motorcycle and other properties. Nepicity gathered that some unidentified youths stormed the area at about 1 am today, destroyed and set the place on fire.

AT THE MEANTIME, Rivers State Ministry of Health has however confirmed the incident.

The Director of Public Health in the state Ministry of Health, Nnanna Onyekwere who exclusively spoke to Agbosblog on a telephone interview, said their investigation so far revealed that the death was caused by local gin, popularly known as ogogoro not as a result of Dog meat consumption.

Dr. Onyekwere further stated that the ministry had taken proactive measures.