Less than six weeks after an odour incident disrupted activities at Our Lady of Apostles Girls School, no fewer than 90 students were hospitalised in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, following a chemical odour spread across several schools there.
Thousands of students from affected schools were rescued and taken to the State Hospital in Ijebu-Ode by emergency responders. Medical personnel at the hospital said many of the students complained of severe abdominal pain and discomfort.
Some of the affected schools include Our Lady of Apostles Girls School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Sambadola Private School and other schools around the Epe Garage and Obalende areas of Ijebu-Ode.
Parents and guardians were seen rushing to schools to evacuate their children as the strange odour spread through parts of the town on Friday morning. Strange smell also spread to surrounding communities and streets within the area, causing anxiety among residents.
The authorities advised residents to remain calm but avoid open flames or ignition sources in areas where unusual gas odours are noticed.
During a visit to the hospital, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, 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.
Weighing in on the development, the General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, Kehinde Bello, said the air quality monitoring device installed at Ijebu-Ode Grammar School detected elevated methane concentrations within parts of the town.
He disclosed that the device recorded methane levels peaking at approximately 13,500 parts per million (ppm) in some surrounding locations.
Bello explained that the monitoring equipment was deployed as part of the state government’s environmental surveillance programme aimed at detecting abnormal air quality conditions and supporting early public health response.
He noted that although the methane concentration remained below the lower explosive limit, the readings were environmentally significant and required immediate technical investigation and precautionary measures.
According to him, the Ogun State Government has activated a multi-agency environmental and public health assessment team comprising environmental regulators, emergency response agencies and air quality experts.
He advised residents to remain calm, continue their routine, but avoid open flames or ignition sources in areas where unusual gas odours are detected.
“Any symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, nausea or respiratory discomfort should be promptly reported to nearby health facilities,” he stated.
Bello assured that the Ogun State Government remains committed to protecting public health and environmental safety, assuring residents that further updates would be provided as investigations progress.
