Panic erupted in Osogbo, the capital of Osun state, on Tuesday, with about 35 students of Fakunle Comprehensive School in Osogbo hospitalized after inhaling tear gas fired by some riot police.
The students, who were unconscious after inhaling the tear gas, were rushed to two different hospitals for emergency medical treatment.
As word of the incident spread, parents and guardians surrounded the school to determine the fate of their children and wards.
While those children and those whose wards were affected were directed to the hospital where they were being treated, other parents quickly removed their children who were still in the school premises.
Punch the subway The troubles are understood to have started when riot police at the PMF 39 base attached to Osogbo were conducting morning exercises on the base’s grounds, firing several rounds of tear gas in the process.
Some students at the school located directly across from the base allegedly inhaled the tear gas that spread across the campus and became unconscious.
A school source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters he was not allowed to speak to reporters Punch the subway Students were already in their classes at around 9 a.m. when tear gas fired by riot police spread across the campus.
It was further learned that some students lost consciousness after inhaling the gas and were rushed to a private hospital near the school for treatment, while others were taken to Osun State University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo by Osun staff. An ambulance plan that responds to school emergency calls.
When our reporter arrived at the school on Osogbo-Ikirun Road, only the teacher was seen, as the rest of the students were said to have been asked to go home.
None of the teachers who approached were willing to speak about the developments, but a parent who identified himself as Gideon told our reporter that he was directed to Osun State University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo to check on his daughter, who was said to have been affected by tear gas .
“When I arrived here, I was told to check out the UNIOSUN teaching hospital for my daughter. About 20 students had been sent home after losing consciousness after inhaling tear gas fired by MOPOL base personnel,” Gideon said.
When contacted, Osun State Police Command spokeswoman Yemisi Opalola said riot police were conducting a routine morning drill and apologized to those affected.
“I just spoke to the folks at the MOPOL base. They were just doing their morning exercise which involved the use of tear gas. We apologize for the inconvenience. As the base is now close to where other people are running their business, there will be no restrictions on operations. Make the necessary adjustments,” she said.
Elizabeth Arowosafe, head of operations for the Osun Ambulance program, provided more details about the incident, with staff responding to emergency calls and taking 11 patients to the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital after all beds in a nearby private hospital were vacated. It’s full. The school is already occupied.
Arowosafe also said it advised school authorities to expel students that day to prevent the deaths.
She said: “We transferred 11 patients to the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, and Osogbo and others were transferred to Spring Hospital near the school. Before we got to the scene, the school had sent some of the affected students to a private hospital. We can’t just Disagree with them because students’ lives are important to us.
“It was when the Spring Hospital was occupied that we transferred the remaining students to the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital). We at UNIOSUN had 11 patients and the remaining students were in the Spring Hospital. According to the information provided to us, there were about 35 patients in total. Students were taken to the hospital.
“We told the school management to release the students because they passed out when they inhaled the gas. So, we told the principal to let the students go home.”