Scores of students hospitalized as police teargas lands in school premises in Osun

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Thirty-five students of Fakunle Government Secondary School, Osogbo, Osun State, have been hospitalised after inhaling teargas smoke fired into their school premises by the police.

The incident reportedly caused commotion among students and teachers of the school.

It was gathered that mobile policemen fired the teargas during their usual practice and the canisters landed within the school premises, which is located across the mobile police station along Ikirun road.

WesternPost learnt that some students who inhaled the smoke fainted and were rushed to the nearby hospital.

A teacher, who did not want his name to be mentioned said that a private hospital behind the school could not accommodate all the affected students, with some rushed to the Osun State University Teaching Hospital.

According to him, authorities ordered the immediate closure of the school when the smoke was becoming unbearable.

The Head, Corporation of Osun Ambulance, Mrs. Arowosafe Elizabeth Olayemi confirmed that some students were evacuated to the Osun State University Teaching Hospital.

“We moved 11 patients to Uniosun teaching hospital and the others were taken to Spring hospital very close to the school at Aderin, because before we got there, the school authority already took the students to the private hospital. You know we cannot just disagree with them because the lives of the students are so important to us.

“So, we have to agree with them. It is when the Spring Hospital was occupied, we moved the remaining students to Uniosun. We have 11 at Uniosun and the remaining students are at Spring Hospital. In all, about 35 students were rushed to the hospitals, according to the information given to us,” she said.

Reacting, the state police command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, said the officers did not fire the tear gas inside the school but were engaging in their usual morning drills.

Opalola apologized to the people that were affected.

“They were just engaging in their morning drills, which involve the use of tear gas. We apologize for the inconvenience,” she said.