Over 100 Ogun students hospitalised as methane gas hit schools again
- A fresh methane emission hit Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo and Ago-Iwoye on Wednesday morning, sending students to hospital.
- Punch and Daily Trust reported over 100 students affected, with the worst-hit schools named in both reports.
- Ogun officials say the gas comes from natural underground fault lines, not a pipeline leak or sabotage.
More than 100 students across several secondary schools in Ogun State were taken to hospital on Wednesday morning after a fresh release of methane gas in Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo and Ago-Iwoye.
Punch and Daily Trust both reported the figure as over 100. The students were treated at the State Hospital in Ijebu-Ode, the General Hospital in Ijebu-Igbo and other health facilities, according to the reports.
Schools badly affected included 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 schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gas started affecting people at about 10am. Students and staff began struggling to breathe and some fainted before being rushed to hospital, the teacher said.
Some schools in Ago-Iwoye closed around 11am as the situation became unbearable, the teacher added. Parents rushed to schools and hospitals to check on their children.
What the government says
Kehinde Bello, General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Agency (OGEPA), visited the affected areas and said the emission was linked to underground gas recorded in Ijebu-Ode since April 2026.
Bello said investigations showed the gas is a natural occurrence tied to geological and tectonic fault lines, not sabotage or a gas pipeline leak. He urged residents to stay calm and said the affected students were expected to recover after treatment.
He advised people exposed to the odour to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs rather than wear nose masks.
Commissioner for Environment Ola Oresanya told Punch: "We are on top of the situation."
In June, Governor Dapo Abiodun said the state was working with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Department of Geology at Olabisi Onabanjo University to find the root cause. He said gas analysers had been installed in the schools and the gas confirmed as methane.
Oresanya had earlier said the affected areas sit on the Ifewara-Zungeru fault line, which runs from Mojoda through Ijebu-Ode towards Osun and Niger states.
Why it matters
This is the fourth such incident in Ijebu land this year, according to Punch and Daily Trust. About 40 students were affected in April, over 120 in May and 69 on June 1.
For parents, the repeated closures and hospital trips raise a simple question: is it safe to send children to school in these communities? Bello said the government would find a lasting solution to the problem.
