About 70 people have died in Nigeria after drinking home-brewed gin that was found to contain large amounts of methanol, senior health officials have said.
Somiari Harry, permanent secretary of the health ministry in Rivers state, said deaths from consuming the gin – known locally as 'ogogoro' – were recorded in five local government areas in the country's oil-rich south.
He said: 'The death toll so far recorded from the consumption of ogogoro is about 70.'
Ogogoro is a west African alcoholic drink usually brewed locally and popular in Nigeria, where it is made from the juice of raffia palm trees and sold cheaply.
Alcohol content can range from 30 to 60 percent.
The deaths, which first came to light earlier this month, have led to Rivers imposing a total, state-wide ban on the manufacture, sale and distribution of the drink.
Health ministry officials have been deployed to enforce the ruling.
The director of the centre for disease control in Rivers state, Nnanna Onyekwere, confirmed the death toll and said there had been 80 reported cases in the five areas.
The state capital, Port Harcourt, is one of the areas affected.
Onyekwere said: 'We collected samples of ogogoro consumed and sent them for laboratory examination.
'NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) found that that the liquor contained large doses of methanol which is injurious to health.'
No new cases have been reported in the past week, he added.
The deaths came after more than 20 people died from drinking local gin in the southwest town of Ode-Irele in April.
Some state governments outlaw the sale and consumption of ogogoro because consumers are easily intoxicated due to its high alcohol content.
Ogogoro is an essential part of religious and social events, including marriages and child-naming ceremonies.
Daily Mail
Related story: Video - Illegal gin brewing thrives in Nigeria
Locally brewed gin suspected of causing 18 deaths in Nigeria
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
63 dead after explosion in abandoned Boko Haram camp
A sack of home-made bombs discovered at an abandoned Boko Haram camp exploded, killing 63 people in northeast Nigeria, civilian self-defence fighters said Wednesday.
Haruna Bukar, a witness to the blast, said the local militia was patrolling the area when they discovered the camp and found the bag of metal objects, which they carried to the nearby town of Monguno.
As residents gathered around to examine the bag, it exploded, said Bukar.
Scores of people have been killed this month in suicide and other bombings carried out by Nigeria's homegrown extremists using these kinds of improvised explosive devices.
Boko Haram took control of a large swath of northeast Nigeria until a multinational force this year forced them out of towns and villages. Nigeria's military says the extremists are now confined to the Sambisa Forest.
Boko Haram denies this and has stepped up bombings and hit-and-run attacks since President Muhammadu Buhari announced at his May 29 inauguration that the command control centre for the war against the insurgents is moving to Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria and the birthplace of Boko Haram.
The 6-year-old Islamic uprising is blamed for the deaths of some 13,000 people. More than 1.5 million have been driven from their homes, some across borders.
AP
Haruna Bukar, a witness to the blast, said the local militia was patrolling the area when they discovered the camp and found the bag of metal objects, which they carried to the nearby town of Monguno.
As residents gathered around to examine the bag, it exploded, said Bukar.
Scores of people have been killed this month in suicide and other bombings carried out by Nigeria's homegrown extremists using these kinds of improvised explosive devices.
Boko Haram took control of a large swath of northeast Nigeria until a multinational force this year forced them out of towns and villages. Nigeria's military says the extremists are now confined to the Sambisa Forest.
Boko Haram denies this and has stepped up bombings and hit-and-run attacks since President Muhammadu Buhari announced at his May 29 inauguration that the command control centre for the war against the insurgents is moving to Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria and the birthplace of Boko Haram.
The 6-year-old Islamic uprising is blamed for the deaths of some 13,000 people. More than 1.5 million have been driven from their homes, some across borders.
AP
Nigeria loses to U.S. 1-0 in 2015 Women's World Cup
Abby Wambach's volley just before the break proved enough for the US, but they could not add to their lead despite Nigeria losing defender Sarah Nnodim to a second yellow card.
They will play one of four third-placed teams to progress from the pool stages.
Australia secured Group D's second spot with a 1-1 draw against Sweden.
The Matildas will play Brazil in the next round in Moncton.
Meanwhile Sweden, ranked fifth in the world, will have to wait to see whether they claim one of four qualifying spots for teams finishing third in their group.
Australia took the lead after just five minutes as captain Lisa De Vanna sprinted onto a long ball forward and coolly slotted home.
But any hopes they had of overhauling the United States at the top of the group were reduced as Sofia Jakobsson levelled 10 minutes late with a low shot inside goalkeeper Lydia Williams' near post.
In Edmonton, the 14th World Cup goal of Wambach's career - an instinctive far post volley from Megan Rapinoe's corner - proved enough for the United States.
But Nigeria coach Edwin Okon was left aggrieved by the referee's decision to issue Nnodim with a second yellow for a challenge on Sydney Leroux that left his side down to 10 players for the final 20 minutes.
BBC
They will play one of four third-placed teams to progress from the pool stages.
Australia secured Group D's second spot with a 1-1 draw against Sweden.
The Matildas will play Brazil in the next round in Moncton.
Meanwhile Sweden, ranked fifth in the world, will have to wait to see whether they claim one of four qualifying spots for teams finishing third in their group.
Australia took the lead after just five minutes as captain Lisa De Vanna sprinted onto a long ball forward and coolly slotted home.
But any hopes they had of overhauling the United States at the top of the group were reduced as Sofia Jakobsson levelled 10 minutes late with a low shot inside goalkeeper Lydia Williams' near post.
In Edmonton, the 14th World Cup goal of Wambach's career - an instinctive far post volley from Megan Rapinoe's corner - proved enough for the United States.
But Nigeria coach Edwin Okon was left aggrieved by the referee's decision to issue Nnodim with a second yellow for a challenge on Sydney Leroux that left his side down to 10 players for the final 20 minutes.
BBC
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Nigeria plays USA in final group stage match at 2015 Women's World Cup
Abby Wambach will do whatever it takes to win the Women's World Cup, even if that means she's coming off the bench.
Wambach came in as a second-half sub in the United States' scoreless draw against Sweden on Friday night, the team's second group-stage match. The second-ranked U.S. will conclude the stage Tuesday night with a match against Nigeria.
"The World Cup for us, for our sport, is the biggest title you can win as a team," she said. "I've never had the opportunity to win one. I've come close. That's obviously a dream of mine to be able raise that trophy for my country."
Before Sweden, the all-time leading U.S. scorer hadn't come off the bench in a World Cup match since 2003. This is the 35-year-old forward's fourth trip to the tournament.
A win against Nigeria, ranked No. 33 in the world, would give the United States a first-place finish in Group D and send the team to Edmonton, Alberta, to open the knockout round next Monday.
After starting in the 3-1 tournament-opening victory of Australia, Wambach entered against Sweden in the 68th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, she had one of the best U.S. scoring chances of the game, a header that Hedvig Lindahl popped up and over the crossbar.
Wambach believes that if she had been playing on real grass, she would have scored on that header. This is the first World Cup played on artificial turf, which has been a contentious issue among many players, and especially Wambach.
Wambach led the way last year when a group of players filed a claim in Canada saying that putting the Women's World Cup on artificial turf amounted to gender discrimination — because the men's event had never been played on what some disdainfully call a "plastic pitch."
FIFA wouldn't bend on the issue, saying that Canada's bid in 2011 — the only bid in the end for this year's event — stipulated the tournament be played on an artificial surface. The group that filed the claim eventually dropped it so they could focus on preparation for the event.
"For me, I definitely think that the U.S. has more goals if we're playing on grass," she said.
Before the match against No. 5 Sweden, a New York Times profile of Swedish coach Pia Sundhage, the former U.S. coach, quoted her as saying she'd use Wambach as a sub. Sundhage led the U.S. to two Olympic gold medals and to the final of the 2011 World Cup in Germany, where the team lost to Japan on penalty kicks.
Sundhage expanded on her comments in Canada the day before the match.
"You have players starting the game, but you have players that will end the game. And Abby is a player that will make the difference (at the end of games). So I would have that in my back pocket and throw her in and win the game. Now, I don't know the team today, but I saw the game against Australia, and today, playing against Sweden, I would start her because she's that good," Sundhage said.
Wambach doesn't see herself as coming off the bench all the time.
"I think my role for this team, being a longer tournament, might be different from game to game, opponent to opponent," she said. "We have such strong depth, that's one of the biggest strengths of our team, and the ability of our coaching staff to go down our bench to fix problems that are happening and to close out games. ... And hopefully when we get to games four, five and six — and hopefully seven — those decisions will pay off."
Nigeria is coming off a 2-0 loss to Australia on Friday, following a 3-all draw with Sweden in the opener. The Super Falcons' speed and physicality — as well as a spirited group of music-playing supporters — won fans for the team in Canada.
But Nigeria was stung by FIFA's three-game suspension of defender Ugo Njoku, who elbowed forward Samantha Kerr in the face during Friday's match.
Nigeria's only chance to advance to the knockout stage is with a victory over the United States.
Wambach said the United States is wary of Nigeria. While the Americans are the lopsided favorites to win the match, there's already been one big upset: France's surprising 2-0 loss to Colombia on Saturday.
"I think that they're going to play as hard as they can," Wambach said. "They're fighting for their lives in this tournament."
AP
Wambach came in as a second-half sub in the United States' scoreless draw against Sweden on Friday night, the team's second group-stage match. The second-ranked U.S. will conclude the stage Tuesday night with a match against Nigeria.
"The World Cup for us, for our sport, is the biggest title you can win as a team," she said. "I've never had the opportunity to win one. I've come close. That's obviously a dream of mine to be able raise that trophy for my country."
Before Sweden, the all-time leading U.S. scorer hadn't come off the bench in a World Cup match since 2003. This is the 35-year-old forward's fourth trip to the tournament.
A win against Nigeria, ranked No. 33 in the world, would give the United States a first-place finish in Group D and send the team to Edmonton, Alberta, to open the knockout round next Monday.
After starting in the 3-1 tournament-opening victory of Australia, Wambach entered against Sweden in the 68th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, she had one of the best U.S. scoring chances of the game, a header that Hedvig Lindahl popped up and over the crossbar.
Wambach believes that if she had been playing on real grass, she would have scored on that header. This is the first World Cup played on artificial turf, which has been a contentious issue among many players, and especially Wambach.
Wambach led the way last year when a group of players filed a claim in Canada saying that putting the Women's World Cup on artificial turf amounted to gender discrimination — because the men's event had never been played on what some disdainfully call a "plastic pitch."
FIFA wouldn't bend on the issue, saying that Canada's bid in 2011 — the only bid in the end for this year's event — stipulated the tournament be played on an artificial surface. The group that filed the claim eventually dropped it so they could focus on preparation for the event.
"For me, I definitely think that the U.S. has more goals if we're playing on grass," she said.
Before the match against No. 5 Sweden, a New York Times profile of Swedish coach Pia Sundhage, the former U.S. coach, quoted her as saying she'd use Wambach as a sub. Sundhage led the U.S. to two Olympic gold medals and to the final of the 2011 World Cup in Germany, where the team lost to Japan on penalty kicks.
Sundhage expanded on her comments in Canada the day before the match.
"You have players starting the game, but you have players that will end the game. And Abby is a player that will make the difference (at the end of games). So I would have that in my back pocket and throw her in and win the game. Now, I don't know the team today, but I saw the game against Australia, and today, playing against Sweden, I would start her because she's that good," Sundhage said.
Wambach doesn't see herself as coming off the bench all the time.
"I think my role for this team, being a longer tournament, might be different from game to game, opponent to opponent," she said. "We have such strong depth, that's one of the biggest strengths of our team, and the ability of our coaching staff to go down our bench to fix problems that are happening and to close out games. ... And hopefully when we get to games four, five and six — and hopefully seven — those decisions will pay off."
Nigeria is coming off a 2-0 loss to Australia on Friday, following a 3-all draw with Sweden in the opener. The Super Falcons' speed and physicality — as well as a spirited group of music-playing supporters — won fans for the team in Canada.
But Nigeria was stung by FIFA's three-game suspension of defender Ugo Njoku, who elbowed forward Samantha Kerr in the face during Friday's match.
Nigeria's only chance to advance to the knockout stage is with a victory over the United States.
Wambach said the United States is wary of Nigeria. While the Americans are the lopsided favorites to win the match, there's already been one big upset: France's surprising 2-0 loss to Colombia on Saturday.
"I think that they're going to play as hard as they can," Wambach said. "They're fighting for their lives in this tournament."
AP
America to fund Nigeria led task-force against Boko Haram
The US says it will give $5m (£3.2m) towards a multi-national task force being set up to fight Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Boko Haram "was not just a Nigerian problem", US official Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
The group was blamed for suicide bombings which killed more than 20 people in neighbouring Chad on Monday.
Chad will be the headquarters of the Nigeria-led force of around 7,500 troops from five countries.
The formation of the force has gained momentum since Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari took office last month.
Nigeria's previous administration, led by Goodluck Jonathan, was seen to have dragged its heels over the creation of the force, as it feared it would undermine Nigeria's sovereignty, correspondents say.
The US also turned down a request by Mr Jonathan's administration last year to sell it weapons because of the poor human rights record of its military.
The issue led to a diplomatic row, with Nigeria accusing the US of refusing to help land a "killer punch" against Boko Haram.
G7 'wish list'
Ms Thomas-Greenfield, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, said the US was in talks with Mr Buhari's government on how it could assist more in the campaign against the militants.
It comes after President Buhari's visit last week to the G7 summit in Germany where he said Nigeria would welcome more international support in the struggle with the jihadists.
The multi-national force is expected to be made up of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin.
Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been helping Nigeria recapture territory from Boko Haram, but their activities have so far been largely uncoordinated.
The African Union (AU) backed the creation of a multi-national force in January, saying Boko Haram required a "collective, effective and decisive response".
Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has left some 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless, rights groups say.
The group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which is fighting to establish a global caliphate.
BBC
Boko Haram "was not just a Nigerian problem", US official Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
The group was blamed for suicide bombings which killed more than 20 people in neighbouring Chad on Monday.
Chad will be the headquarters of the Nigeria-led force of around 7,500 troops from five countries.
The formation of the force has gained momentum since Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari took office last month.
Nigeria's previous administration, led by Goodluck Jonathan, was seen to have dragged its heels over the creation of the force, as it feared it would undermine Nigeria's sovereignty, correspondents say.
The US also turned down a request by Mr Jonathan's administration last year to sell it weapons because of the poor human rights record of its military.
The issue led to a diplomatic row, with Nigeria accusing the US of refusing to help land a "killer punch" against Boko Haram.
G7 'wish list'
Ms Thomas-Greenfield, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, said the US was in talks with Mr Buhari's government on how it could assist more in the campaign against the militants.
It comes after President Buhari's visit last week to the G7 summit in Germany where he said Nigeria would welcome more international support in the struggle with the jihadists.
The multi-national force is expected to be made up of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin.
Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been helping Nigeria recapture territory from Boko Haram, but their activities have so far been largely uncoordinated.
The African Union (AU) backed the creation of a multi-national force in January, saying Boko Haram required a "collective, effective and decisive response".
Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has left some 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless, rights groups say.
The group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which is fighting to establish a global caliphate.
BBC
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