The Ogun State House of Assembly has invited the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, and relevant officials to explain the recurring gas leak incidents affecting communities and schools in the Ijebu axis of the state.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Daisi Elemide, said the commissioner and his team would appear before lawmakers on Wednesday, October 28, to address concerns over the incidents, which have left scores of students hospitalised.
Elemide announced the decision during Thursday’s plenary, following a motion raised by the member representing Odogbolu State Constituency, Lukman Adeleye.
He said the invitation would also involve the State Environmental Protection Agency and other relevant agencies to provide information on the suspected gaseous emissions and measures to prevent further occurrences.
According to the Speaker, the officials are expected to explain the circumstances surrounding the latest incident, which reportedly caused several schoolchildren in Ijebu-Ode and neighbouring communities to require medical attention.
Adeleye, while acknowledging the efforts of government agencies in responding to previous incidents, called for stronger collaboration between the agencies and lawmakers to address the recurring problem.
He also stressed the need to identify areas requiring additional government intervention to prevent further exposure.
More than 100 students from secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo were reportedly taken to various hospitals on Wednesday after experiencing symptoms linked to the inhalation of an offensive gaseous substance.
Among the affected schools were Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School in Ijebu-Ode and Itamerin Comprehensive High School in Ago-Iwoye.
A teacher at one of the affected schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident began at about 10 a.m., when students and staff started experiencing breathing difficulties and fainting.
The teacher said the affected individuals were subsequently rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The latest occurrence is reportedly the fourth major incident of unusual gaseous emissions recorded in the Ijebu area since April 2026.
About 40 students were affected in April, while more than 120 were reportedly hospitalised following another incident in May. A further 69 students were taken for medical attention on June 1.
The state government had previously identified methane as the suspected gas associated with the incidents, while the Commissioner for Environment attributed earlier occurrences to natural underground gas emissions linked to geological and tectonic fault lines.
The commissioner had ruled out sabotage and gas pipeline leakage as possible causes of the previous incidents.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the government had intensified investigations and monitoring of the affected areas.
Akinmade said an assessment team visited the General Hospital in Ijebu-Ode, where more than 30 students received medical attention, before proceeding to affected school premises to investigate the source of the odour.
He said the symptoms reported by the students included shortness of breath, stomach disorders and drowsiness.
The statement added that some students required oxygen to stabilise their conditions, while others received less intensive treatment.
It further noted that most of the affected students had been discharged by the time the assessment team left the hospital, although a few remained under medical observation.
According to the government, the investigation also indicated that the odour was not confined to school premises, as residents of neighbouring communities reported perceiving it. The Chairman of Ijebu North Local Government Area also confirmed that the odour was noticed at the council secretariat.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission was said to have joined the assessment and investigation to help establish the source of the emissions.
The government assured residents that the situation was being managed and that investigations would continue to determine the cause of the recurring incidents and their possible health and environmental consequences.
The latest development has renewed calls for a lasting solution to the problem, amid concerns over the safety of students, school workers and residents in the affected communities.
