About 30 students and a teacher of Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Epe Garage in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, were hospitalised yesterday after a suspected chemical odour caused panic and disrupted school activities after the morning assembly.

The Vice Principal, Mrs Adeola Borogun, explained that the incident was not a gas explosion but a strange chemical odour detected on the school premises, which immediately prompted an emergency response.

She stated: “Many students began vomiting and fainting, forcing the school management to call for ambulances from the General Hospital, Ijebu Ode.”

Confirming the development, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Dr Banjo Adeoye, stated that 30 students and a teacher were brought in for treatment.

He added that most of the affected individuals were in stable condition, noting that the exact chemical substance responsible for the incident had yet to be identified.

Reacting, the Permanent Secretary of the Ogun State Ministry of Environment, Dr (Mrs) Kafayat Lawal, disclosed that officials swiftly responded after receiving a distress call.

She noted that the situation had been brought under control before their arrival, after which the team proceeded to the hospital to assess the victims’ condition.

Dr Lawal added that environmental officers had been deployed to conduct a thorough evaluation and analysis of the air quality within the school environment to determine the source of the odour.

The Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Council, Dare Alebiosu, who visited the hospital, confirmed that all affected students were stable and that no life was lost.

He described the situation as calm and under control, while assuring parents and residents that a full investigation would be carried out to uncover the cause of the incident.

Alebiosu also advised parents to closely monitor their children for any unusual symptom, as authorities continue in efforts to identify the source of the suspected chemical exposure.