No fewer than 30 students and a teacher were hospitalised on Wednesday following a suspected gas leak at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
The incident, which occurred shortly after the morning assembly, reportedly threw the school into panic as an unidentified gaseous substance spread across the premises, leaving many students and staff gasping for breath.
Eyewitnesses said several students collapsed after inhaling the substance, prompting swift emergency intervention.
The affected students and the teacher were subsequently evacuated to the General Hospital, Ijebu Ode, where they are currently receiving treatment.
Initial reports suggested the possibility of a nearby gas explosion, while other sources linked the incident to a chemical odour emanating from the school’s laboratory during a practical session.
It was gathered that a piece of laboratory equipment may have fallen during the exercise, releasing a substance that permeated the school environment.
However, the Vice Principal (Junior School), Mrs Adeola Borogun, dismissed claims of any explosion, describing the situation as a strange chemical smell that triggered vomiting and fainting among students.
She noted that the severity of the situation necessitated the invitation of emergency responders, including ambulances.
Also speaking, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, described the development as a gas leak but ruled out an explosion or industrial pollution.
According to him, officials were deploying a gas analyser to determine the nature and concentration of the substance responsible for the incident.
He added that there were no industrial facilities in the vicinity capable of causing such pollution, insisting that the source of the leak was yet to be identified.
Oresanya, however, assured that the affected students were in stable condition.
Similarly, the Chief Medical Director of the General Hospital, Ijebu Ode, Dr Banjo Adeoye, confirmed that 30 students and one teacher were admitted, noting that most of them had stabilised.
He added that efforts were ongoing to ascertain the exact substance involved.
In the same vein, the Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu, confirmed that no fatalities were recorded, stating that all affected persons were responding well to treatment.