More than 100 students from secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, have reportedly been hospitalised following exposure to a toxic gas suspected to be methane.
The Punch reported that the affected students were taken to the State Hospital in Ijebu-Ode, General Hospital in Ijebu-Igbo and other healthcare facilities for treatment.
Schools reportedly worst affected by the incident include Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School in Ijebu-Ode and Itamerin Comprehensive High School in Ago-Iwoye.
A video circulating on social media showed some students fainting and being rushed to hospitals after inhaling the substance.
A teacher at one of the affected schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident began around 10 am, affecting both students and staff.
“The incident happened at about 10 am in the morning. The students and the staff started inhaling this gas and began to have difficulty in breathing and were fainting after which they were rushed to the hospitals.
“Some of the schools in Ago Iwoye had to close for the day around 11am when the situation was becoming horrible and unbearable. The worst hits schools include Ijebu Igbo Girls Grammar School and Anglican Girls Grammar School in Ijebu Ode.
“Some parents who have heard about the unfortunate incident also came around to pick their children because nobody knows what is happening. We even heard that this gas leak had been on since April sending hundreds of students to hospital whenever it decided to appear from nowhere.
“We are all anxious about our health and that of our students, I think it is taking the government so long to get to the roots of this mysterious deadly gas leakage. The government has to do something fast to address this situation before it gets too late.”
The incident is reportedly the fourth occurrence of gas emissions affecting communities in the Ijebu area since April 2026.
The first recorded incident in April affected about 40 students, while more than 120 students were reportedly hospitalised following another exposure in May. On June 1, a further 69 students were hospitalised after another occurrence.
Schools previously affected include Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Epe Garage, Ijebu-Ode; Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode; and St Anthony Grammar School, Ijebu-Imusin.
In June, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said the state government was investigating the recurring incidents in collaboration with relevant agencies and experts.
“Twice now, we have recorded cases of pollution in this school and some neighbouring schools.What is interesting is that the gas pollution occurred at about the same time in the affected schools—about three schools altogether—and this has happened on two separate occasions.
“Following the first occurrence, we installed gas analysers across the schools to determine the nature and concentration of the gas, which has now been confirmed to be methane.
“Preliminary findings suggest there may be geological factors involved, possibly fault lines common to these locations, which could be responsible for the emissions.We are awaiting the final report from the professionals handling the investigation.”
The Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, told our correspondent on Wednesday that the government was addressing the situation, saying, “We are on top of the situation.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the governor and General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Agency, Kehinde Bello, who visited the affected areas in Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Igbo, attributed the latest incident to underground gas emissions previously recorded in the communities.
Bello said the situation was under control and assured residents that the government was working towards a permanent solution.
According to him, preliminary investigations indicated that the emissions were a natural phenomenon linked to geological and tectonic fault lines, rather than sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.
He urged residents to remain calm, adding that the affected students were expected to recover after receiving medical attention.
Bello also advised people exposed to the odour to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs instead of wearing nose masks.
Medical personnel were still attending to the affected students at the general hospitals as of the time of filing this report.
The latest incident has heightened concerns about the repeated gas emissions and their potential threat to students, school staff and residents of the affected communities.
