More than 30 secondary school students received medical attention following a fresh outbreak of underground gas emissions in parts of Ogun State on Wednesday, October 21.
The incident affected students at Anglican Girls Grammar School in Obalende, Ijebu-Ode, including its public and private sections, and Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School.
The strong odour also disrupted academic activities in Ago-Iwoye, forcing some schools to close prematurely and send pupils home.
Several affected students were taken to general hospitals in Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Igbo for treatment, triggering panic among parents, guardians and teachers who rushed to the facilities to check on their condition.
The General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Kehinde Bello, who visited the affected locations for an assessment, linked the latest incident to underground gas emissions previously recorded in Ijebu-Ode since April 2026.
He said the state government was working to address the situation and find a lasting solution.
According to Bello, government investigations indicated that the emissions were caused by natural geological processes associated with underground fault lines, rather than sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.
Speaking on the condition of the affected students, he said more than 30 had been treated at the General Hospital in Ijebu-Ode.
“We left the General Hospital earlier, where over 30 students were attended to for common symptoms, according to the doctor, and the findings from the affected students include shortness of breath, stomach disorder, drowsiness, among others.
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“While some of them needed oxygen to be stabilised, others just needed minor medical attention. As at the time we were leaving the hospital, most of the students had been discharged, but a few are still under monitoring,” he said.
Bello said the agency was also investigating the situation in Ijebu-Igbo, adding that the odour affected residents beyond the school premises.
“We are presently at Ijebu Igbo Girls Grammar School for assessment and further investigations. We also checked the surrounding area. This odour was not peculiar to the schools alone; those in the environs were also affected.
“The Ijebu North LG Chairman also confirmed that he perceived the odour at the LG secretariat too,” Bello added.
Residents exposed to the odour were advised to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs rather than wear nose masks.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over recurring underground gas emissions and their potential impact on students and other residents.
In June, the Ogun State Government attributed similar incidents in Ijebu-Ode to natural underground geological causes, dismissing speculation that they were linked to spiritual beliefs or security threats.
The Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said scientific investigations identified methane and sulphide gases escaping through underground fractures along established fault lines.
He explained that the affected areas lie along the Ifewara-Zungeru Trans-Atlantic fault line, which stretches from Mojoda through Ijebu-Ode to Osun and Niger states.
Oresanya also noted that the affected part of Ijebu-Ode was historically forested and largely uninhabited before missionary schools were established there.