Panic swept through Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, as a suspected gas leak sent more than 100 students and several teachers to hospitals in the town, marking the second such incident in the area in weeks.

The latest episode affected multiple schools, including Anglican Girls Grammar School, Obalende, and Our Lady of Apostle Secondary School, Epe Garage, among others. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as students fled their classrooms, some collapsing as teachers and residents rushed them into vehicles for emergency care.

Many of the victims were taken to the Ogun State Hospital, Ijebu Ode, which quickly became overwhelmed, forcing some parents to move their children to private clinics. An eyewitness at the state hospital said the scale of the incident surpassed the earlier gas leak reported in the town.

According to the witness, students complained of stomach pain, weakness and general discomfort. The number of affected schools and pupils raised fresh concerns about the source and spread of the emissions.

Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, confirmed the incident and said environmental and emergency agencies had been deployed. He noted that the state’s air quality monitoring device at Ijebu Ode Grammar School had recorded elevated concentrations of methane in the area, with peak readings of about 13,500 parts per million in surrounding locations.

While stressing that the methane level remained below the lower explosive limit, Oresanya said it was still environmentally significant and warranted urgent investigation. He announced the activation of a multi-agency team comprising environmental regulators, emergency responders and air quality experts to trace the source of the gas, map the affected areas and assess exposure risks.

The team is also expected to test for associated gases such as hydrogen sulphide and volatile organic compounds as part of a broader environmental surveillance effort.

Local officials, including the Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu, and the Managing Director of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, Kenny Bello, visited affected schools and hospitals to monitor the situation and ensure treatment for victims.

Residents have been urged to remain calm, avoid open flames where unusual odours are noticed and report symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, nausea or breathing difficulties to nearby health facilities.

The latest incident follows a previous gas leak in Ijebu Ode in which at least 30 students and a teacher from Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School were hospitalised after a mysterious gaseous substance spread across the school premises.