Scores of students have been hospitalised after suspected gas leakage has hit a school in Ijebu Ode, in Ogun State.
The incident which occurred in the early hours of Friday at the Anglican Girls Grammar School, AGGS Ijebu Ode, reportedly sent panic across the school with some of the students fainting after inhaling the leaked gas while several others fled the school.
This is coming barely three months after similar incident was reported in the same town.
Several students also fainted following a reported gas leakage, prompting emergency response and a visit by the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, and other officials of the ministry.
The latest development, which had since raised fresh concerns over air quality and safety standards across the area, had left fresh set of students hospitalised.
Video shared on X showed visibly disturbed parents and guardians of the affected students loitering around the General Hospital where the students were admitted.
Some of the students who fled from the school after the leakage were also seen at the hospital waiting for their colleagues.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued on Friday, the Ogun Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said relevant agencies had commenced necessary interventions.
Oresanya said the ministries of education, environment, security agencies, and local government authorities were jointly handling the situation.
The commissioner disclosed that an Air Quality Monitoring Device installed at Ijebu Ode Grammar School detected elevated methane concentrations.
He explained that the device recorded methane concentrations of about 13,500 parts per million (ppm) in surrounding areas.
According to him, the monitoring device forms part of the state’s environmental surveillance programme for detecting abnormal air quality conditions.
Oresanya said the methane concentration remained below the lower explosive limit but required immediate technical investigation and precautionary measures.
He said the state government would activate a multi-agency environmental and public health assessment team to investigate the incident.
He added that the team would determine the emission source, assess exposure risks and evaluate other associated gases in the environment.
He listed the gases to be investigated as hydrogen sulphide, volatile organic compounds, and other air quality parameters.
The commissioner advised residents to remain calm and go about their normal activities while avoiding open flames near areas with unusual gas odours.
He also urged residents experiencing dizziness, headaches, nausea or respiratory discomfort to seek immediate medical attention.
Oresanya reaffirmed government’s commitment to protecting lives, public health, and environmental safety across the state just as he assured residents that verified updates would be provided as investigations progress.
