The Ogun State Government has announced that all students and residents hospitalised after the recent gas inhalation incident in parts of Ijebu-Ode have recovered and been discharged from medical facilities.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting held at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School on Saturday, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said those affected responded well to treatment and were certified medically stable before leaving the hospitals.
According to her, victims who received treatment at the State Hospital in Ijebu-Ode and health centres in Ijebu-Ife showed only mild to moderate symptoms linked to methane gas exposure.
Coker explained that methane is not poisonous but can reduce oxygen levels in the environment, making breathing difficult and causing symptoms such as fatigue and rapid heartbeat.
She disclosed that the state government had activated additional emergency response measures to strengthen public safety across the affected communities. The measures include the deployment of ambulance teams to all wards within Ijebu-Ode, with each unit staffed by trained paramedics and drivers for faster medical intervention during emergencies.
The commissioner added that a referral protocol had also been established to ensure patients needing specialised care could be quickly transferred from secondary health facilities to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital.
She urged residents not to panic but to promptly report unusual odours or suspicious environmental conditions through official emergency channels.
Coker further revealed that surveillance nurses, rapid response personnel and environmental health officers had already been deployed to impacted areas, while the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had been notified for further support and monitoring.
As part of efforts to improve emergency preparedness, the health ministry plans to train teachers in public and private schools, alongside willing parents, to serve as community first responders during health-related emergencies.
She also noted that toxicology tests would be conducted on some affected children to assess the extent of exposure.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said air quality monitoring devices had been installed around schools and other affected locations to track environmental conditions.
According to him, the gas analysers have been monitored regularly over the past four weeks, with experts from Olabisi Onabanjo University assisting in analysing the data collected.
Oresanya stated that the monitoring exercise would be expanded to additional schools across Ijebu-Ode as investigations continue into the source of the recurring emissions.
He added that the state government was collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other research institutions to identify the root cause of the incident.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, appealed to parents, teachers and school administrators to remain calm, assuring them that authorities were taking necessary steps to protect students and school environments.
Arigbabu warned against spreading false information capable of causing unnecessary fear and directed school heads to remain security conscious amid reports of suspicious activities near some schools.
In the same vein, the Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, confirmed the deployment of security personnel, including specialised police units and the School Protection Squad, to schools and surrounding communities.
He added that drones were being used to enhance surveillance and monitor affected areas across the environment.
