A suspected gas leak in Ogun State left over 100 students and staff from multiple secondary schools in Ijebu area hospitalized on Wednesday after experiencing severe breathing difficulties and fainting episodes.
The incident, which reportedly began around 10:00 am, impacted several institutions—including Anglican Girls Grammar School (Ijebu-Ode), Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, and Itamerin Comprehensive High School (Ago-Iwoye). Victims were transported to the Ijebu-Ode State Hospital, Ijebu-Igbo General Hospital, and local clinics for emergency care.
Social media footage showed panic gripping residents, parents, and students as victims were carried off for medical treatment.
With similar incidents recently reported across Ijebu land, community members are calling on the Ogun State Government to urgently investigate the toxic source and protect public health.
“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,” the teacher said.
The teacher added that the situation deteriorated rapidly, forcing some schools in Ago-Iwoye to suspend activities and send students home at about 11am.
“Some of the schools in Ago-Iwoye had to close for the day when the situation became frightening and unbearable. The worst-hit schools include Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School and Anglican Girls Grammar School in Ijebu-Ode,” the teacher said.
According to the source, parents who learnt about the incident hurried to the schools to collect their children amid fears over their safety.
The teacher also alleged that similar incidents had occurred since April, with hundreds of students reportedly requiring hospital treatment following previous exposures.
“We are all worried about our health and the safety of our students. I think it is taking the government too long to get to the root of this mysterious gas emission. The government needs to act quickly before the situation gets worse,” the teacher said.
Wednesday’s incident was reportedly the fourth episode of suspected gaseous emissions to disrupt school activities in Ijebu land since April 2026.
The first reported occurrence in April affected about 40 students, while more than 120 students were reportedly hospitalised following another incident in May. A further 69 students were said to have been hospitalised on 1 June.
Schools affected during previous incidents included Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Epe Garage, Ijebu-Ode; Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode; and St Anthony Grammar School, Ijebu-Imusin.
The recurrence has raised concerns about the health and safety of students and school staff, particularly as some institutions have reportedly experienced more than one incident.
Meanwhile, Ogun government has commenced investigation into the cause, according to Governor Dapo Abiodun who said the government had engaged relevant agencies and experts to investigate the suspected emissions.
He said the state Ministries of Environment and Health were working with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Department of Geology at Olabisi Onabanjo University to establish the cause.
PerSecondNews recalls that in June, Abiodun disclosed that gas analysers had been installed in affected schools to determine the nature and concentration of the emissions.
“Twice now, we have recorded cases of pollution in this school and some neighbouring schools. What is interesting is that the gas pollution occurred at about the same time in the affected schools — about three schools altogether — and this has happened on two separate occasions,” the governor said.
He added that investigations had identified methane in samples collected during the earlier incidents.
“Following the first occurrence, we installed gas analysers across the schools to determine the nature and concentration of the gas, which has now been confirmed to be methane,” Abiodun said.
According to the governor, preliminary findings suggested that geological conditions, including possible fault lines, could be contributing to the phenomenon.
However, the cause of Wednesday’s latest incident remains to be established from the information available, while concerns persist over the repeated disruption of school activities and the potential risks to students and staff.
Residents and school communities are urging the authorities to intensify investigations and take measures to prevent further occurrences.
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