IJEBU-ODE – The Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) has dismissed claims that the recent chemical odour that affected several schools in Ijebu-Ode was a result of air pollution, describing the incident as more of a security concern than an environmental safety issue.
The agency’s General Manager, Hon. Kehinde Bello, made the clarification during an inspection visit to St. Anthony Grammar School, Esure; the State General Hospital, Esure; and a private hospital in the town.
Bello appealed to residents, parents, and guardians in the affected communities to remain calm, assuring them that the government was doing everything possible to manage the situation.
He further revealed that an air quality analyzer installed at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode, detected high levels of methane (CH4) concentration, with peak readings of approximately 14,900 ppm around the location. Efforts, he added, were ongoing to install similar analyzers at other affected schools in the area.
Earlier, a medical doctor at the State General Hospital, Esure, Dr. Victor Nathaniel, disclosed that 15 students were brought to the facility – 12 from private schools and three from public schools within the same area. According to him, the students complained of symptoms linked to inhaling a foul-smelling and irritating chemical odour.
Another doctor on duty, Dr. Farouk Raji, explained that some students were brought in unconscious with weak pulse rates, but noted that their conditions had since stabilised. Dr. Raji added that while several patients had been discharged, others were still receiving treatment.
