More than 90 students were hospitalised on Friday after a chemical odour spread across several schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, causing panic and disruption.
Parents and guardians rushed to schools to evacuate their children as the strange odour spread through parts of the town in the morning.
Emergency responders evacuated thousands of students from affected schools and took many of them to the State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, for treatment.
Medical personnel at the hospital said many of the students complained of severe abdominal pain and discomfort.
Schools affected by the incident include Our Lady of Apostles Girls School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Adeola Odutola Secondary School, St. Anthony Esure School and several others.
Residents in nearby communities also reported being affected by the smell, which led to concern in the area.
As of the time this report was filed, no senior government official had arrived at the State Hospital. However, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, later visited the hospital around 11:16 a.m.
He appealed to parents to remain calm and allow medical personnel to attend to the affected students.
According to him, federal and state environmental agencies had been mobilised to investigate the incident and respond immediately.
Speaking on the development, the General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, Hon. Kehinde Bello, said an Air Quality Monitoring Device installed at Ijebu-Ode Grammar School detected unusually high methane gas concentrations in parts of the town.
He said the device recorded methane levels of about 13,500 parts per million (ppm) in surrounding areas, describing the situation as environmentally significant though below the explosive limit.
Bello explained that the monitoring system is part of the state government’s environmental surveillance programme aimed at detecting abnormal air quality conditions and enabling quick public health intervention.
He added that the Ogun State Government had activated a multi-agency environmental and public health response team involving emergency responders, environmental regulators and air quality experts to determine the source of the contamination.
Residents were advised to remain calm but avoid open flames or ignition sources in areas where unusual gas odours are noticed.
“Any symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, nausea or respiratory discomfort should be reported immediately at nearby health facilities,” Bello said.
He assured residents that the Ogun State Government remains committed to protecting lives and ensuring public safety as investigations continue.
The environmental protection agency boss also visited affected schools to assess the situation.
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