Over 100 students were hospitalised on Wednesday after inhaling toxic gas in Ogun State.
The incident affected secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo and Ago-Iwoye. Students were taken to State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, General Hospital, Ijebu-Igbo and other facilities.
The Ogun State Government confirmed the development in a statement by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade. It said an assessment team was deployed and that the situation is now under control.
Findings from the team showed students suffered shortness of breath, stomach disorder and drowsiness after inhaling the odour. More than 30 were treated at General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode. Some required oxygen, while most were discharged, with a few kept under observation.
Teachers said the odour started at about 10 a.m., forcing some schools including Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode and Itamerin Comprehensive High School, Ago-Iwoye to close by 11 a.m.
The latest case is the fourth methane emission recorded in Ijebu land since April. Previous incidents hospitalised about 40 students in April, 120 in May and 69 in June. The government said preliminary investigation with Olabisi Onabanjo University linked the emissions to underground geological and tectonic fault lines.
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