Mysterious gas emissions again sending over 100 Ogun students to hospital

More than 100 students from several secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo areas of Ogun State were hospitalised on Wednesday following another suspected toxic gas emission, Vanguard reports. Affected students were taken to the State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, the General Hospital, Ijebu-Igbo, and other facilities.

A teacher, who spoke anonymously, said, “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.” Some schools in Ago-Iwoye closed early as the situation worsened.

The latest incident is reportedly the fourth since April. About 40 students were affected in April, over 120 were hospitalised in May and 69 on June 1. Governor Dapo Abiodun said gas analysers confirmed the emission to be methane, with preliminary findings pointing to possible fault lines. Commissioner for Environment Ola Oresanya said, “We are on top of the situation.” Kehinde Bello, general manager of the state environmental agency, urged residents to remain calm.