30 Students, Teacher Hospitalised In Ogun Over Poisonous Gas Leak

About 30 students, including a teacher of Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, have been hospitalised after inhaling a poisonous gas said to have leaked from a yet to be identified facility, thereby disrupting activities on the school premises.

The incident, it was learnt, occurred on Wednesday shortly after the morning assembly, when an unidentified gaseous substance spread across the compound, 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 on the premises, prompting immediate safety measures.

“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 explosion was the cause.

“There was no explosion. We are dealing with a gas leak from an as-yet-unknown source. Some suspect the school laboratory, but others believe it may have originated from somewhere else,” he said.

According to him, officials were already using appropriate tools to determine the nature, concentration, and source of the substance.

Oresanya assured that the affected students were responding well to treatment and are now in stable condition.

Also speaking, Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu, who visited the hospital, described the situation as under control and urged calm among parents and residents.

He assured that authorities would conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident and prevent a recurrence.