The Ogun State Government has ordered the closure of some schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo after more than 100 pupils were hospitalised on Wednesday following suspected exposure to an offensive gaseous substance.
The affected pupils were rushed to the State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, the General Hospital, Ijebu-Igbo and other healthcare facilities for medical attention.
Among the schools worst affected were Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode, Itamerin Comprehensive High School and some schools in Ago-Iwoye.
A video circulating on social media showed pupils fainting and being rushed to hospitals, in what has become the fourth reported occurrence of gaseous emissions in the Ijebu area since April.
A teacher at one of the affected schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident occurred at about 10am when pupils and staff began experiencing breathing difficulties.
“The pupils and staff started inhaling the gas and began to have difficulty breathing. Some of them fainted and were rushed to hospitals,” the teacher said.
“Some schools in Ago-Iwoye were forced to close at about 11am as the situation worsened. Some parents who heard about the incident also came to pick up their children because nobody knew what was happening,” the teacher added.
The teacher expressed concern over the recurring emissions, warning that pupils and staff continued to face potential health risks.
“We are all anxious about our health and that of our pupils. I think it is taking the government too long to get to the root of this mysterious gas leakage. The government has to do something quickly before it gets too late,” the teacher said.
In April, about 40 pupils were reportedly affected by the emissions, while more than 120 others were hospitalised in May. A further occurrence on June 1 reportedly left 69 pupils requiring medical attention.
Governor Dapo Abiodun had earlier said the state government was collaborating 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 cause.
“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,” Abiodun said in June.
When contacted on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the government was on top of the situation.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor and General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Agency, Kehinde Bello, who visited affected areas, linked the latest incident to underground gas emissions previously recorded in the area.
Bello said the situation was under control and investigations indicated that the phenomenon was a natural occurrence associated with geological and tectonic fault lines, rather than sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.
He urged residents to remain calm, assuring that the affected pupils were expected to recover after receiving medical attention.