Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Ogun State Government has announced that schools recently shut in parts of Ijebu-Ode will be reopened after completing safety reviews and consultations over recurring gas emissions that have hospitalised hundreds of students and teachers, attributing the phenomenon to natural underground geological activity rather than traditional myths or spiritual beliefs. The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Abayomi Arigbadu, disclosed the decision on Sunday, June 28, 2026, during a town hall meeting with stakeholders at the Bisi Rodipe Hall in Ijebu-Ode. Arigbadu said the reopening would follow systematic arrangements and discussions with principals of affected schools and Zonal Education Officers to ensure safe resumption of academic activities.
The gas emissions, which have occurred on three separate occasions this year, left several students and teachers hospitalised after they experienced discomfort, dizziness, and breathing difficulties during or shortly after exposure. Over 200 students and staff of Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Anglican Girls Grammar School, and other schools in the area were affected. In response, Governor Dapo Abiodun ordered the temporary relocation of students of Our Lady of Apostles Girls Grammar School to protect them while specialists conducted detailed studies to determine the source of the emissions.
At the town hall meeting, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, presented the findings of scientific investigations conducted by experts, which established that the gases being emitted are mainly methane and sulphide, originating from underground fractures along an existing geological fault line. Oresanya identified the Ifewara-Zungeru trans-Atlantic fault line as a major factor behind the incidents, explaining that it stretches from Mojoda through Ijebu-Ode into Osun State and extends to Zungeru in Niger State. "There is what we call the Ifewara-Zungeru trans-Atlantic line that cuts across Mojoda, Ijebu-Ode into Osun State through Zungeru in Niger State. That fault line has been there from time immemorial, and it has been found out that it connects to the areas where the gas emissions occurred. Coincidentally, all the affected schools are located in that area," he said.
Oresanya noted that the affected part of Ijebu-Ode was historically forested and sparsely populated, adding that many of the affected schools were missionary institutions established on land that was largely unoccupied. He said the government was conducting further analysis to determine whether the methane and sulphide gases are thermogenic or methanogenic in origin and to establish whether Ijebu-Ode sits on significant natural gas reserves. "We are also trying to determine whether Ijebu-Ode is sitting on a huge gas reserve that may have been pressurised beneath the town," Oresanya added.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, advised residents not to panic but to comply with public health guidelines. She urged residents to cover their noses with wet handkerchiefs during gas emission incidents instead of using face masks, which she said could be dangerous under such conditions. Coker also advised residents to contact the state's health emergency line, 08112000033, whenever they required assistance.
The Head of the Department of Earth Sciences at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Prof Philip Ikhane, who is leading the investigation, urged residents to remain calm while experts continued their work. He advised residents to minimise activities such as borehole drilling and quarry blasting, warning that such activities could aggravate existing fault lines and increase associated risks.
Some stakeholders, including Adegbenro Adetayo, Olawale Kukoyi, Monday Ajayi, and Mrs Morayo Adebanjo, commended the state government for its intervention and urged residents and schools to make use of the health emergency helpline. The schools are expected to reopen after consultations with principals and zonal education officers to ensure all necessary safety arrangements are in place.
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