By: Tijani Salako.

The General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Hon. Kehinde Bello, has dismissed claims that the recent chemical odour incident affecting some schools in Ijebu-Ode was caused by air pollution, describing the development as more of a security concern than an environmental safety issue.

This was contained in a statement issued by the agency’s Head of Public Relations, Mr. Luke Adebesin, following Bello’s assessment visit to affected areas in the town.

Bello made the clarification during visits to St. Anthony Grammar School, Esure, the State General Hospital, Esure, and a private hospital where some of the affected students were receiving treatment.

He urged residents, parents, and guardians in the affected communities to remain calm, assuring them that the Ogun State Government was making efforts to address the situation and prevent further occurrences.

Speaking during the visit, a medical doctor at the State General Hospital, Esure, Dr. Victor Nathaniel, disclosed that 15 students were brought to the facility following exposure to the foul-smelling substance.

According to him, 12 of the affected students were from private schools, while three were from public schools within the same vicinity.

Nathaniel explained that the students complained of symptoms associated with inhalation of an irritating chemical odour.

Also speaking, the doctor on duty, Dr. Farouk Raji, said some of the students were brought to the hospital unconscious and with weak pulse rates.

He, however, noted that the affected students had stabilized following medical attention.

Raji added that while some of the patients had been discharged, others were still receiving treatment at the facility.

Providing further details on the incident, Bello revealed that an air quality analyser installed at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode, detected high concentrations of methane gas (CH4), with peak readings of about 14,900 parts per million around the area.

He added that efforts were ongoing to deploy air quality analysers across other affected schools to monitor the situation and identify the possible source of the chemical odour.