Subscribe: Gist E-Paper
Several secondary school students have been hospitalised following a fresh outbreak of underground gas emissions in Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo and Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning, affecting students of Anglican Girls Grammar School, including its public and private sections, in Obalende, Ijebu-Ode, as well as Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School.
The affected students were reportedly taken to general hospitals in Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Igbo for medical attention.
In Ago-Iwoye, the offensive odour disrupted academic activities, forcing some schools to close abruptly and send students home.
The development sparked panic among parents, guardians and teachers, with some rushing to hospitals to ascertain the condition of the affected students.
The General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Kehinde Bello, who visited the affected areas in Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Igbo, linked the latest incident to underground gas emissions previously recorded in Ijebu-Ode since April 2026.
Bello said the state government was working to address the situation and find a lasting solution to the recurring problem.
He explained that preliminary government investigations had attributed the phenomenon to natural geological processes associated with underground fractures and tectonic fault lines, rather than sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.
The OGEPA chief urged residents to remain calm, expressing optimism that the affected students would recover after receiving medical attention.
Residents exposed to the odour were also advised to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs instead of nose masks.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over the recurring gas emissions and their potential effects on schools, particularly the safety and wellbeing of children.
In June, the Ogun State Government attributed similar incidents in some Ijebu-Ode schools to natural underground ecological processes, dismissing speculations linking the emissions to spiritual beliefs or security threats.
The Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, had said scientific investigations identified methane and sulphide gases as the major emissions escaping through underground fractures along established fault lines.
According to Oresanya, the affected locations fall within the Ifewara-Zungeru Trans-Atlantic fault line, which stretches from Mojoda through Ijebu-Ode towards Osun and Niger states.
The government has maintained that investigations and response efforts are necessary to establish effective measures for addressing the recurring emissions and protecting residents of the affected communities.
