Abiodun orders probe into chemical gas leakage in Ogun school

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has ordered an investigation to unravel the release of a suspected gaseous chemical that affected over 30 students and a teacher of Our Lady of Apostles, Ijebu Ode, on Wednesday.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta on Thursday, stating that the investigation would reveal the root cause of the incident and offer useful suggestions to prevent any future occurrence.

He said that the Governor also directed the immediate opening of a situation room at the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, to offer free treatment to other students and residents in areas such as Makalewo, Ogbogbo, Molipa, Igbegba, Ikoto and Oke-Aje market affected by the chemical leakage.

Governor Abiodun directed that all affected schools be closed immediately, while imploring residents of the state to disabuse their minds of any security threat.

Officials of the State Safety unit and the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) team have deployed gas analysers to track the source of the gas.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, accompanied by the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman, Mr Dare Alebiosu, and Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Environment and Education, Dr Kafayat Lawal and Mrs Oluwatosin Oloko, visited the schools and the General Hospital where the thirty students and two teachers affected were hospitalised.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Oresanya said the students and the teachers are in stable condition.