No fewer than 30 students and a teacher were, on Wednesday, hospitalised following a suspected gas leak at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State
The incident, which occurred shortly after the morning assembly, reportedly threw the school into panic as a strange gaseous substance spread across the premises, leaving several students and staff gasping for breath.
Eyewitnesses said the situation quickly turned chaotic as many of the affected students began to collapse.
“They suddenly started coughing and struggling to breathe. Some fainted on the spot,” a source disclosed.
The affected students, alongside a teacher, were immediately evacuated to the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, for urgent medical attention.
While the exact cause of the incident remains unclear, opinions among sources were divided. Some linked it to a possible gas emission within the school, while others attributed it to a chemical odour believed to have emanated from the laboratory during a practical session for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
It was further gathered that a laboratory apparatus may have accidentally fallen during the exercise, allegedly releasing a substance that permeated the school environment.
Reacting, the Vice Principal (Junior School), Mrs Adeola Borogun, dismissed claims of an explosion, describing the incident as a “strange chemical odour” that triggered immediate emergency response.
“It was not an explosion. We perceived a strange smell within the premises, and some students began vomiting and fainting. We promptly contacted the General Hospital for ambulances,” she said.
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