More than 100 secondary school students were reportedly taken to hospitals after fresh gas emissions affected schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, on Wednesday, October 21.
The affected schools included Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School in Ijebu-Ode and Itamerin Comprehensive High School in Ago-Iwoye. Students received care at the State Hospital in Ijebu-Ode, the General Hospital in Ijebu-Igbo and other health facilities.
Some schools in Ago-Iwoye closed early as the odour disrupted lessons. A teacher quoted by Punch and Daily Trust said students and staff began experiencing breathing difficulties at about 10am, with some students fainting before they were taken for treatment.
Punch and Daily Trust reported the figure of more than 100 students across the affected areas. In an account carried by Channels Television, Ogun State Environmental Agency General Manager Kehinde Bello said more than 30 students had been attended to at a general hospital he visited. That account concerned the hospital visit rather than a total for all affected schools.
Bello said some students needed oxygen to stabilise them, while others required minor medical attention. Most at the hospital had been discharged by the time officials left, with a few still being monitored, he told Channels Television.
The agency head linked the episode to underground emissions recorded in Ijebu-Ode since April. He said government investigations pointed to geological and tectonic fault lines rather than sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.
Environment Commissioner Ola Oresanya told Punch on Wednesday that officials were responding to the situation. The government had previously identified methane and sulphide gases in the affected area; NaijaTrend reported its explanation of the earlier emissions here.
Bello said officials were assessing Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School and its surroundings. He told Channels Television that people outside the school premises had also perceived the odour, including at the local government secretariat.
Sources: Punch, Daily Trust, Channels Television
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