Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has ordered security agencies in the state to immediately investigate the root cause of the release of gaseous chemicals in Ijebu-Ode.

Thirty students and two teachers of Our Lady of Apostle Primary and Secondary Schools (OLAS) were hospitalised as a result of inhaling the poisonous gas.

The state’s Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, on behalf of the governor, disclosed that the investigation would reveal the root cause of the incident and offer useful suggestions to prevent any future occurrence.

The governor also directed the immediate opening of a Situation Room at the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, which will offer free treatment to other students and residents of the impacted areas, such as Makalewo, Ogbogbo, Molipa, Igbegba, Ikoto and Oke-Aje market.

He implored residents of the state to disabuse their minds of any security threat due to the release of the gaseous chemical.

He further ordered the immediate closure of the affected schools.

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

Oresanya, alongside the Ijebu-Ode Local Council Chairman, 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 30 affected students and two teachers were hospitalised.

The commissioner, who spoke on behalf of the team, said that the students and teachers were in stable condition.