Ogun Government Links Ijebu‑Ode Gas Emissions to Underground Fault Lines

1 hour ago 1

ARTICLE AD BOX

The Ogun state government has rejected conventional explanations for the repeated gas emissions reported in Ijebu‑Ode communities.

It characterized the incidents as natural geological events occurring underground along fault lines.

During a town‑hall meeting in Ijebu‑Ode on Sunday, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, delivered remarks.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, students and teachers were hospitalised following suspected exposure to chemical odours.

The incidents took place on three separate occasions this year at various schools in Ijebu‑Ode.

Oresanya stated that investigations identified methane and sulphide gases as the cause of the emissions.

He explained that the gases escaped through underground fractures along established fault lines, adding that the occurrence is a natural geological process rather than a product of traditional mythology.

He cited the Ifewara‑Zungeru trans‑Atlantic fault line as a major contributing factor.

The commissioner noted that the fault line extends from Mojoda through Ijebu‑Ode to Osun, and that the affected schools lie along this geological corridor.

Oresanya mentioned that the area was historically forested and largely uninhabited before missionary settlements, and that deserted lands were allocated to missionaries, which led to the establishment of schools there.

The commissioner indicated that further laboratory studies would establish the precise origin of the gases.