By Enyichukwu Enemanna
At least twenty students of a school in Osogbo, Osun State, South West Nigeria have been hospitalised, following a tear gas attack in the school on Tuesday.
The event incident at Fakunle Comprehensive High School, was due to a drill exercise of the mobile policemen of the 39 Squadron Division located opposite the school along Osogbo-Ikirun road, in the state capital, multiple sources said.
A teacher who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter said some of the students collapsed as a result of the intensity of the tear gas inside the school.
The incident forced the school to shut down to avoid an attack by community members and parents of affected students.
“13 of the students were taken to a private hospital behind the school, while 7 or 8 others were taken to Uniosun teaching hospital for treatment. Some of them have been stabilized while others are still under watch”, our source said.
A mother, Mrs Adeola Fatima, who rushed to the school to look for her daughter, identified as Hikmah, said she was told she has been taken to a hospital for treatment.
Ministry of Education in the state disclosed that the situation is under control as the issue has been escalated to the Commissioner of Police in the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Adelani Aderinola, who spoke through the Information Officer, Roseline Olawuni, said the mobile policemen were holding a memorial exercise in honour of their fallen colleagues in Benue state.
“They were shooting tear gas which affected the students in the school. However, the matter has been escalated to the Police Commissioner who has stopped the exercise.
“The students have been taken to the hospital and most of them have been stabilised,” he said.
