June 10, 2026
By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
For more than two months, a troubling environmental mystery has cast a shadow over Ijebu-Ode and neighbouring communities in Ogun State, turning classrooms into scenes of panic and leaving parents, teachers and government officials searching for answers.
What began as an isolated incident at a secondary school in April has evolved into a recurring public health concern, affecting hundreds of students across multiple schools and raising urgent questions about environmental safety in one of Ogun State’s major educational hubs.
At the heart of the crisis is a series of unexplained gas emissions, now believed to contain significant concentrations of methane, which have repeatedly triggered episodes of dizziness, nausea, breathing difficulties and fainting among students and teachers.
