The Ogun State Government has shut down Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu Ode and opened an investigation after a suspected gas leak left about 30 students hospitalised.
The incident occurred shortly after the school assembly on Wednesday, triggering panic as a mysterious gaseous substance spread across the school environment.
NEWSCLICKNG gathered that more than 30 individuals, including students and staff, experienced breathing difficulties during the incident.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said Governor Dapo Abiodun had ordered security agencies to investigate the cause of the incident, stressing that the findings would help prevent a recurrence.
The governor also directed the immediate closure of the school.
“Governor Abiodun has also directed the immediate opening of a Situation Room at the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, which will offer free treatment to other students and residents of the impacted areas such as Makalewo, Ogbogbo, Molipa, Igbegba, Ikoto and Oke-Aje market,” the statement added.
Residents of nearby communities, including Makalewo, Ogbogbo, Molipa, Igbegba, Ikoto and Oke-Aje, were urged not to panic, as authorities clarified that there was no confirmed security threat linked to the incident.
Oresanya also confirmed that officials of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency had deployed gas analysers to identify the source of the substance.
He added that he and other officials visited both the school and the hospital where victims were receiving treatment, noting that most of the affected students and teachers were in stable condition.
Reports gathered that while some residents suspected a nearby gas explosion, others believed the smell may have come from a chemical reaction during a school laboratory practical.
However, the school’s Vice Principal (Junior School), Adeola Borogun, dismissed claims of an explosion, describing it instead as a strange chemical odour within the school premises.
