By James Ogunnaike
More than 100 students from several secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo areas of Ogun State were reportedly hospitalised on Wednesday following another incident of suspected toxic gas emissions that left students and staff struggling to breathe and fainting.
The affected students were reportedly taken to the State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, the General Hospital, Ijebu-Igbo, and other healthcare facilities for medical attention.
Schools worst affected by the latest incident included Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode, and Itamerin Comprehensive High School, Ago-Iwoye, among others.
A video circulating on social media showed some of the affected students fainting and being rushed to hospitals as panic spread across the affected communities.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over recurring gaseous emissions in parts of Ijebu land, with residents and school authorities demanding urgent intervention to prevent further exposure.
A teacher in one of the affected schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident began at about 10 a.m., when students and staff started experiencing breathing difficulties.
“The students and staff started inhaling the gas and began to have difficulty breathing. Some of them fainted and had to be rushed to hospitals,” the teacher said.
According to the teacher, some schools in Ago-Iwoye were forced to close for the day at about 11 a.m. as the situation worsened.
“Some of the schools in Ago-Iwoye had to close for the day when the situation became frightening and unbearable. The worst-hit schools include Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School and Anglican Girls Grammar School in Ijebu-Ode,” the teacher added.
The teacher said parents who heard about the incident also rushed to their children’s schools to take them home amid fears over their safety.
“Some parents who heard about the unfortunate incident came to pick up their children because nobody knows exactly what is happening. We also heard that the gas emissions had been occurring since April, sending hundreds of students to hospitals whenever they resurfaced,” the teacher said.
Expressing concern over the repeated incidents, the teacher called on the state government to intensify efforts to establish the source of the emissions and find a lasting solution.
“We are all worried about our health and the safety of our students. I think it is taking the government too long to get to the root of this mysterious gas emission. The government needs to act quickly before the situation gets worse,” the teacher said.
The latest occurrence is reportedly the fourth time gaseous emissions have caused panic and disrupted school activities in Ijebu land since April 2026.
The first reported incident in April affected about 40 students, while more than 120 students were reportedly hospitalised following another exposure in May.
Another 69 students were reportedly hospitalised on June 1 after another occurrence.
Schools affected in previous incidents included Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Epe Garage, Ijebu-Ode; Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode; and St Anthony Grammar School, Ijebu-Imusin, among others.
The repeated incidents have raised concerns about the safety of students and staff, particularly as the emissions appear to recur in some of the same locations.
Following previous incidents, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said the state government was working with relevant agencies and experts to determine the cause of the emissions.
The governor said the Ministries of Environment and Health were collaborating with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Department of Geology at Olabisi Onabanjo University to investigate the phenomenon.
Abiodun, speaking on the matter in June, said gas analysers had been installed in affected schools following earlier incidents to determine the nature and concentration of the emissions.
“Twice now, we have recorded cases of pollution in this school and some neighbouring schools. What is interesting is that the gas pollution occurred at about the same time in the affected schools—about three schools altogether—and this has happened on two separate occasions,” the governor said.
He added: “Following the first occurrence, we installed gas analysers across the schools to determine the nature and concentration of the gas, which has now been confirmed to be methane.”
The governor said preliminary findings pointed to possible geological factors, including fault lines, as a potential explanation for the emissions.
“Preliminary findings suggest there may be geological factors involved, possibly fault lines common to these locations, which could be responsible for the emissions. We are awaiting the final report from the professionals handling the investigation,” he said.
When contacted on Wednesday, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the government was monitoring the situation.
“We are on top of the situation,” he said.
Also speaking on the latest incident, Kehinde Bello, a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abiodun and General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Agency, said the emissions were linked to underground gas occurrences previously recorded in Ijebu-Ode since April 2026.
Bello, who visited the affected areas in Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Igbo to assess the situation, said the government was working towards finding a lasting solution.
He said investigations by the government had indicated that the phenomenon could be a natural occurrence associated with geological and tectonic fault lines, rather than sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.
Bello urged residents to remain calm, assuring them that the affected students were expected to recover after receiving medical attention.
He also advised residents exposed to the odour to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs rather than wear nose masks.
However, the precise source of the emissions and the circumstances surrounding their repeated occurrence remain central concerns for residents of the affected communities.
As of the time of filing this report, medical personnel were reportedly attending to the affected students at the general hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
The latest incident has intensified calls for a conclusive investigation and effective measures to prevent further exposure, particularly in schools, where students and staff remain vulnerable to the recurring emissions.
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