By Oluwatoyin Adegoke
More than one hundred students and teachers from various schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, are reportedly undergoing medical treatment following alleged exposure to harmful chemical odour in the town.
The incident caused panic among residents while emergency responders evacuated affected students to the State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode and other private medical facilities for urgent treatment.
Witnesses claimed that many of the affected students complained of abdominal pain and discomfort after inhaling the odour.
Some of the schools affected were Our Lady of Apostles Girls School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Adeola Odutola Secondary School as well as St. Anthony School alongside many private schools within the area.
The development came barely one month after a similar incident was recorded at Our Lady of Apostles Girls School where students were reportedly affected by a strange substance in the atmosphere.
Speaking during a visit to the State Hospital, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, appealed to parents to remain calm while medical personnel continued treatment of the affected students.
Professor Arigbabu assured residents that environmental officials from both federal and state agencies had been contacted for immediate intervention.
Also reacting, the General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, Kehinde Bello, disclosed that air quality monitoring devices installed in parts of Ijebu-Ode recorded elevated methane gas concentrations in some locations.
Mr Bello explained that although the concentration remained below the lower explosive limit, the situation required urgent technical investigation and precautionary measures, while advising residents to avoid open flames in areas where unusual gas odours was perceived and to seek medical attention for symptoms such as dizziness, nausea or respiratory discomfort.
