Panic in Ogun School as 30 Students, Teacher Hospitalised After Suspected Gas Leak

No fewer than 30 students and one teacher of Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, were hospitalised on Wednesday after a suspected gas leak spread across the school premises.

Global Mirror News gathered that the incident occurred shortly after the morning assembly, throwing the school into panic as students and staff suddenly began struggling to breathe.

Witnesses said several students started coughing, vomiting and collapsing after inhaling the strange substance.

The affected students and the teacher were immediately rushed to the General Hospital in Ijebu-Ode for urgent medical attention, while emergency responders were mobilised to the school. Most of the victims were later confirmed to be in stable condition.

There were conflicting accounts over the source of the leak. While some residents alleged that the fumes may have come from the surrounding community, others claimed the odour originated from the school laboratory during a practical session.

It was learnt that a laboratory apparatus may have fallen during the exercise, possibly releasing the substance that spread through the school environment.

The Vice Principal of the junior school, Mrs. Adeola Borogun, dismissed reports that there was an explosion within the school.

According to her, the school only noticed a strange smell before students began reacting to it.

She said the management quickly contacted the General Hospital in Ijebu-Ode to dispatch ambulances after several students began fainting and vomiting.

Also speaking on the incident, Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, described the development as a gas leak but ruled out industrial pollution or an explosion.

He explained that there are no gas facilities or industrial plants in the area that could have caused such pollution.

Oresanya added that officials were deploying a gas analyser to determine the exact type of gas and its concentration in order to trace the source of the leak.

The Chief Medical Director of the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, Dr. Banjo Adeoye, confirmed that 30 students and one teacher were treated at the facility and that most of them were responding well to treatment.

Similarly, Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu, assured parents and residents that no life was lost and that investigations were ongoing to determine what caused the incident.