By Abdullahi Lukman
The Federal Government has deployed a technical investigation team to Ogun State to determine the cause of recurring underground gas emissions affecting secondary schools and host communities across the Ijebu axis, following repeated incidents that have left more than 200 students hospitalised.
The team, constituted by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), is expected to investigate the source of the emissions, assess the environmental and health risks, and recommend lasting solutions in collaboration with the Ogun State Government.
Speaking during a joint briefing and preliminary site assessment in Ijebu on Saturday, the committee’s team leader and NUPRC Assistant Director, Prosper Okonedo, said the intervention followed an initial assessment conducted by the state government and submitted to the commission.
Okonedo explained that although preliminary indications suggest the emissions could be originating from natural underground geological formations rather than pipeline infrastructure, further investigations would be required to establish their exact source.
He said the commission had assembled technical experts from its Lagos regional office to conduct an independent assessment and develop appropriate recommendations to address the situation.
Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, described the incident as part of an emerging environmental challenge affecting several states, including Rivers, Delta and Osun.
He maintained that there were no gas pipelines around the affected locations in Owode, Ikenne and Ijebu-Omu, suggesting that the emissions were likely coming from underground geological formations.
Oresanya urged residents not to panic, assuring them that the state government was working with relevant federal authorities to address the situation. He also ruled out any immediate plan to relocate residents, noting that the government was examining international practices for managing similar incidents.
Meanwhile, the Lead of the Ogun State Technical Investigating Team and Professor of Sedimentary Petroleum Geochemistry at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Philip Ikhiane, disclosed that preliminary geological investigations and remote sensing activities had identified underground lineaments that could represent faults, fractures or joints.
According to him, these geological structures may provide pathways through which gases escape from beneath the earth’s surface, although further studies are necessary to establish their connection with the reported emissions.
The latest federal intervention follows repeated incidents of students and staff experiencing breathing difficulties, fainting and other health complications after exposure to an offensive gaseous substance in schools across Ijebu land.
More than 100 students from affected schools were recently taken to various healthcare facilities, including the State Hospital in Ijebu-Ode and the General Hospital in Ijebu-Igbo.
Previous incidents were recorded in April, May and June, with about 40 students hospitalised in April, more than 120 in May and another 69 on June 1.
Schools previously affected include Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode, Itamerin Comprehensive High School, Ago-Iwoye, Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode, and St. Anthony Grammar School, Ijebu-Imusin.
The Ogun State Government had earlier identified methane as the suspected gas responsible for the incidents, raising concerns over the potential environmental and public health implications.
The ongoing investigation is expected to establish the geological source of the emissions and determine appropriate measures to prevent further exposure, particularly in schools and densely populated communities.
