About 30 students and one teacher of Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, have been hospitalised after a suspected gas leak fouled the school environment and disrupted activities at the premises.
The incident, it was learnt, occurred on Wednesday shortly after the morning assembly session when an unidentified gaseous substance spread across the compound and soon saturated the air around, leaving students and staff struggling to breathe.
No figure was given by any official about the number of people affected, but eyewitness accounts indicated that about 30 students suddenly became ill, with many collapsing, vomiting, and gasping for air.
Emergency services were promptly contacted, and the affected victims were rushed to the General Hospital in Ijebu Ode for urgent medical attention.
Vice Principal of the school, Mrs. Adeola Borogun, said the situation became concerning after a strange chemical odour was detected within the school premises, prompting immediate safety steps to be taken.
“Students started fainting and vomiting almost at the same time. We quickly alerted emergency responders, who evacuated them to the hospital,” she explained.
Confirming the situation, Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, debunked speculation that the incident was caused by an explosion.
“There was no explosion. What we are dealing with is a gas leak from a yet-to-be-known source. Some suspected the school laboratory, but others believed it may have originated from somewhere else,” he said.
According to him, officials were already working with appropriate tools to determine the nature, concentration and source of the offensive substance.
Oresanya assured that the affected students were responding well to treatment and were in stable condition.
Also speaking, chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government Council, Dare Alebiosu, who visited the hospital, described the situation as being under control and urged calm among parents and residents.
He assured that authorities would carry out a thorough investigation to uncover the cause of the incident and prevent a reocurrence.
