More than 100 students from several secondary schools in Ijebu Ode, Ago Iwoye and Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, have reportedly been hospitalised after inhaling an offensive gaseous substance.
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The affected students were taken to the State Hospital in Ijebu Ode, General Hospital in Ijebu Igbo and other healthcare facilities for treatment.
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Schools reportedly worst affected include Ijebu Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School in Ijebu Ode and Itamerin Comprehensive High School in Ago Iwoye.
A teacher at one of the affected schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident occurred at about 10am on Wednesday, with students and staff experiencing breathing difficulties before some began to faint.
The teacher said some schools in Ago Iwoye closed around 11am as the situation worsened, while worried parents arrived to take their children home.
The teacher also expressed concern that the gas emissions had reportedly been occurring since April, repeatedly sending students to hospital, and called on the government to urgently identify and address the cause.
The latest incident marks another recurrence of the mysterious gas emissions in the Ijebu area. In April, about 40 students were reportedly affected, while more than 120 were hospitalised following another exposure in May. A further 69 students were taken to hospital on June 1.
Previous incidents affected several schools, including Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Epe Garage, Ijebu Ode, Anglican Girls Grammar School and St Anthony Grammar School in Ijebu Imusin.
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In June, Governor Dapo Abiodun said the state government was working with the Ministries of Environment and Health, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Department of Geology at Olabisi Onabanjo University to determine the source of the emissions.
The governor disclosed that gas analysers had been installed in affected schools following earlier incidents and that tests had identified methane as the gas involved. He said preliminary findings suggested geological factors, including possible fault lines, could be responsible, while officials awaited the final investigation report.
Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said on Wednesday that the government was handling the situation.
Kehinde Bello, a Senior Special Assistant to the governor and General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Agency, who visited affected areas in Ijebu Ode and Ijebu Igbo, linked the latest incident to underground gas emissions previously recorded in the communities.
Bello said the situation was under control and assured residents that the government would work towards a lasting solution. He added that investigations suggested the emissions were a natural phenomenon associated with geological and tectonic fault lines, rather than sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.
He urged residents to remain calm, saying the affected students were expected to recover after receiving medical attention. He also advised people exposed to the odour to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs rather than wear nose masks.
Medical personnel were attending to the affected students at the hospitals as of the time of reporting.
The latest episode has renewed concerns about recurring underground gas emissions in the affected communities and the risks they pose to students, school staff and other residents.
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